A SHOPPER who visited a high street store claims she was mocked for her concerns over social distancing while waiting in line to pay.

Tracey Hunt said another customer stood too close while she was shopping at Iceland Foods in Church Street, Malvern, and refused to take the measure seriously.

She said: “I was at the till when the next customer came and stood next to me. I asked him politely to keep the two metres distance - all I got back was mickey taking as if I’m stupid and overreacting. I had no support from the shop assistant as he just laughed along with this man.

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“Usually the assistants in shops ask us to stand on the line on the floor.

“I feel so annoyed.”

The mayor of Malvern Town Council, Cllr Neil Morton, said: “This is literally a matter of life and death - we all need to stay away from each other in accordance with Government guidelines.

“None of us knows the health of another person we meet so we should all be cautious.”

However, a spokesman for Iceland Foods said: “No complaint was made to store management about the alleged incident at the checkout.

“We are confident that all appropriate social distancing measures are in place at our Malvern store.

“Our colleagues are regularly reminded of the importance of social distancing and we trust that all our customers will respect and abide by the rules that have been put in place."

Tracey Hunt shared her experience on a public facebook page and gained support from others worried about the measure, which is designed to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Jonathan Abrams said: “It’s how people cope with it because their brains can’t accept the reality of what is a very real and present danger.”