More than 300 'Covid-related crimes' recorded at storespublished at 14:55 Greenwich Mean Time 21 January 2021
Alex Regan
BBC News
More than 300 crimes linked to Covid-19 have been recorded at Co-op stores across central England, the company has said.
The food retailer said some customers have threatened to cough on workers and "give them coronavirus".
Staff have also been threatened because people have had to queue to enter stores, a Co-op spokesman added.
It comes as the retailer said instances of verbal abuse to staff had increased by 167% over 12 months, assaults had increased by 35%, and threats had increased by 16% compared to the same period in 2019.
Other examples highlighted by Co-op include a staff member in Leicestershire being threatened with a wrench for refusing to sell an energy drink to a customer, with another colleague in Leicester knocked unconscious after a robbery in July.

Co-op loss prevention manager Craig Goldie said the statistics were "a sad reminder of the terrible abuse and crimes that our colleagues had to face during 2020".
The company recorded a total of 1,963 crimes committed in its central England shops, with 312 of those "related directly to Covid-19".
It said it is working with other retailers, police and crime commissioners and MPs to push the government to crack down on those who abuse or attack shop workers.