A Teesside MP has called for greater protection for shop workers who, he claims, are regularly hit and verbally abused.
Ashok Kumar, MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, has joined 60 other MPs to call for statistics of abuse against shop workers to be used as one of the Government's main indicators in assessing crime.
The MPs also wanted more town centre partnership schemes between police, shop owners and councils to be established across the country.
They have made their call after the British Retail Consortium revealed that there were 20,000 attacks on staff and a further 28,000 threats against staff this year.
Dr Kumar said: "I find it despicable that shopworkers, people who have to work their hardest during the Christmas and New Year period, are subjected to such a level of abuse and violence.
"I believe the figures from the British Retial Consortium are only the tip of the iceberg and a lot of violence goes unreported. We are lucky that there are good town centre partnership plans across Teesside."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article