SHOPWORKERS need better legislation to protect them from attacks, campaigners said today after the Co-op revealed high levels of abuse against its staff during the pandemic.

The company’s research suggests that one in five customers has admitted being aggressive or abusive towards a shop worker over the past eight months, even though most people feel that retail staff have provided an essential service during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Co-op said that one in four of its frontline shop workers has been on the receiving end of violence, abuse and anti-social behaviour, with a 36 per cent increase in incidents so far this year compared to the same period in 2019.