BUSINESSES in the south which fail to meet the requirements of new disability equality laws will have nowhere to run and nowhere to hide from October 1, the Disability Rights Commission warned today.

Firms, service providers and even local authorities would also face an upsurge in awareness and activism among disabled people, said barrister Catherine Casserley, the commission's senior legislative adviser.

The new law, Part 3 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, which comes into effect on October 1, requires all business and service providers to make reasonable changes to ensure that they are accessible to the ten million people in Britain who have some form of disability.

It will apply to all sorts of business, large and small, including hotels, restaurants, cinemas, theatres, dental surgeries, health clubs and even high street newspaper shops.

Firms and shops will have to ensure that premises are adapted so that disabled people can use the services on offer - and that if such adaptation is impossible, their services are offered in a different manner.

More than two million businesses will be affected by the changes - and failure to comply with the law could result in legal action.

Ms Casserley said: "Increased awareness and activism among disabled people after October 1 is a given that businesses and service providers should not be in denial about.

"In this new setting there will be nowhere to run and nowhere to hide for those who have not made or planned improvements."