Bangor KFC worker 'told not to speak Welsh to customers'

A student working at a Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) in Bangor has said she was told by a supervisor not to talk to customers in Welsh.

Ceri Hughes, from Felinheli, Gwynedd, said she was being trained to use the till when the incident happened.

The 27-year-old, who studies at Bangor University, has since quit her part-time job.

KFC said it wanted its team members to speak the language "they and our guests feel comfortable with".

It added: "At KFC, we all speak the same language - that of our love for original recipe chicken."

Ms Hughes said that during the incident on 28 June, the supervisor told her she must take every order in English as she was being trained by an English-speaking person.

"I then spoke Welsh with some other Welsh-speaking customers, and she came back and told me to speak English to the customers," she said.

Ms Hughes, who studies history, said she was then taken aside and told off for speaking Welsh.

"It's not acceptable that they've told me I have to speak English with customers," she said.

Tamsin Davies, from the Welsh Language Society, said it was "a very serious allegation".

"If true, it's completely unacceptable; KFC should apologise immediately and adopt a clear policy that staff and customers have an unconditional right to communicate in Welsh," she added.

"The Welsh Language Measure 2011 makes it illegal for people or organisations to interfere with the freedom of people in Wales to use the Welsh language."

The Welsh Language Commissioner said it had received a complaint and would be investigating.