Coronavirus: OAP, 73, left shaken after being spat on outside Sumal Stores on Albert Street, Newark

People need to take Government coronavirus advice seriously ­— that is the message of many who fear for their lives should precautions continue to be ignored.

In one case, a man ­— vulnerable because he is over 70 ­— was spat at outside a store while putting on a protective face mask and gloves before doing an emergency shop.

Keith Marriott, 73, said he was shaken after two men sneezed and spat at him outside Sumal Stores on Albert Street, Newark.

Keith left home with wife, Sue, on Tuesday to shop for emergency supplies when he was approached by two men in their late 20s or early 30s.

“They started to sneeze all over the place, and then started to spit, all because I put my mask on,” he said.

“I took my mask off and drove up to the Co-op because I needed to get away — I was shook up.

“I am trying to keep myself and my wife as safe as possible. My wife has just had a knee operation and she is diabetic so she is very vulnerable.

“We take all of these precautions and you get people like that who think it is funny to take the micky out of an older person like me.

“I have told the police and they thought it was just as disgusting and they are going to check the CCTV near Sumals.”

A woman, also in her seventies, was subjected to presumably fake fits of coughing when she asked a fellow shopper in B&M Bargains to keep to the mandatory distance of two metres away.

Jennifer Smith said: “I have been worried about it because who’s to say he wasn’t infected without him knowing.

“This is not a rehearsal but the real thing.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the country into lock down on Monday to help stop the spread of coronavirus, including only leaving home for essential shopping.

Customers at the town branch of Homebase ­— classed as essential because it is a hardware store ­— became concerned for staff because lock down, for an initial period of three weeks, saw people buying DIY materials and even garden pots and plants on Tuesday.

One customer said: “This is not essential shopping and is endangering the staff. These shoppers should be at home not buying paint.”

Another said: “They were queuing around the carpark. Remember they are supposed to be open for essential and emergency repairs. Many are being put at risk because people have three weeks off to decorate.”

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