Gangs of unmasked youths are putting staff at one of Dundee’s biggest supermarkets in fear with late-night gatherings there, it has been claimed.
A whistleblower at Asda’s Milton store said defiant teens are regularly roaming the aisles throughout the night
Claims the problem is not being taken seriously by management have been rejected by the company.
But Asda has reinforced a plea to shoppers to take their responsibilities seriously by following the coronavirus rules as the latest wave of the pandemic tightens its grip on the nation.
The worker said: “During the first lockdown the store was closed during the night and we felt quite safe.
“We thought that might happen again when the restrictions were increased but it has not.
“Since Christmas it has been a nightmare.
“The number of customers that were in together in groups was unbelievable and I would say 99% of them were not wearing masks.
“There’s a little bit of security but they don’t say anything to customers about not wearing masks.
“We just don’t feel safe.
“One young lad came right up to me and was being very aggressive.
“He wasn’t wearing a mask but basically told me I couldn’t do anything about it,” added the worker.
They said the defiant teens know employees are virtually powerless to tackle them over breaking guidelines.
“On the night shift you recognise the type of customer who is coming in to shop, perhaps shift workers finishing and people like that.
“It’s now gangs of teenagers coming in on the pretext that they are shopping but they seem to be just gathering in the store.
“The management are not interested in anything the night shift has to say.”
The source added: “I’d just like the parents of Dundee to know that their children are wandering round Asda at night with no masks on and behaving like this.
“It’s a disgrace.”
Company previously put Covid marshalls in place
The supermarket chain has implemented a number of measures during the pandemic, including the appointment of so-called Covid marshalls to encourage customers to follow government guidelines.
The employee added: “We have that during the day but it is not the same at night.”
The company said it had not been made aware of groups of youth gathering at the Milton store.
An Asda spokesperson said: ”We strongly encourage all customers to shop individually or in as small a group as possible to help minimise the amount of customers in our stores, and we are asking everyone to wear a mask unless they are medically exempt.
“We have increased security at our stores as well as having implemented safety marshals in addition to the many Covid-19 safety measures we have in place at our Dundee Milton store.
“We are working hard to protect our customers and colleagues in store and would ask the local community to help us, help them.”
