A catalogue of violence against shopworkers — with more than 300 front-line retail staff assaulted every day in the last 12 months — was revealed yesterday.

The Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (Usdaw) says the government insists shop staff have a duty to enforce the law, such as not selling alcohol to people who are drunk, or youngsters. But the Tories and their Lib Dem allies have repeatedly refused Labour calls for the staff to be given better protection.

And even when violent perpetrators are convicted of offences against workers, they are given lenient sentences — and some are not even charged with an offence, says the union.