Kirkcaldy Lidl staff ‘spat at and punched’ during months of abuse

Workers at a Kirkcaldy supermarket are being spat at, punched and threatened during a daily campaign of abuse.

Staff at the Lidl store on the Esplanade are being targeted by a gang of youths – some thought to be as young as 11.

The town’s MSP, David Torrance, says it is the worst anti-social behaviour he has seen in the town in more than 30 years.

The politician was shown one video where a female worker was punched in the face while another showed staff being threatened with acts of violence.

Workers ‘living in fear every day’

A source close to staff members told The Courier that workers are “living in fear every single day”.

The source said: “The shop is being terrorised and it’s being going on for months.

“Staff have threatened that they will be stabbed while another had a youth spit right in their face.

“On another occasion a member of staff was knocked to the ground and had their glasses broken.

“It’s not just happening at night either – the store is being targeted at all times of the day.

“Police are being called to the store on a regular basis and have been for a long time but, if anything, it’s getting worse.”

‘I thought nothing would shock me any more’

Mr Torrance has called for a meeting involving police to discuss the problems.

He said: “Having been a councillor for 20 years and an MSP for Kirkcaldy for the last 12 I thought nothing would shock me any more.

“However the CCTV has left me both stunned and appalled by the level of abuse these youths have inflicted on staff.

“It’s the worst I’ve ever seen in my constituency and it involves a gang of around eight youths aged from 11 to 14 years old.

“CCTV footage shows a female employee being punched in the face by a youth.

“I’m told staff have faced serious threats of violence on an almost daily basis.

“People’s mental health is now being affected too.”

Inspector Nicola Black, of Kirkcaldy police station, told The Courier officers are aware of anti-social behaviour in the Esplanade area.

She said: “This kind of behaviour is not acceptable and those found responsible are dealt with appropriately.

“I would ask parents and guardians to make sure they know where their children, who they are associating with are and what they are doing.

Abuse ‘faced by other retailers in Kirkcaldy’

“Where instances do happen. we would encourage these to be reported to officers via 101 so that we can investigate accordingly.”

A spokesperson for Lidl UK said: “Lidl takes any abusive and violent behaviour towards our colleagues extremely seriously.

“We have several measures in place to protect both colleagues and customers, including the presence of security guards and CCTV.

“We can confirm that police have been alerted to the anti-social behaviour, which we understand is being experienced by other retailers in the area too, and we continue to support them in their investigations.”