Preston mother with autistic son walks out of Asda store in tears after being told to leave him at home by shopworker

Ellie Alexander Broomfield, 34, who suffers with cystic fibrosis - a life threatening illness which affects the lungs, says she was shopping with her 12-year-old son Lewis in Preston when a member of staff told her the youngster had been “messing up” the shelves that she had “spent hours” organising.

The distraught mum said that she tried to explain to staff that her little boy was autistic but was stunned to be told by the staff member she should leave him at home next time she visits the store. Ellie told the Post that following the incident, which Asda has since apologised for, that she complained to head office. The mother of two, who works for a specialist primary school in Preston, had gone to the store on October 8 to treat Lewis after he won a school ‘star of the week’ award.

What did Ellie say the staff member said to her?

Ellie explains: "We were looking for pasta flour and he was turning jars around to read the labels to ask me if that’s what we needed. Not understanding what it was we were looking for, for him, this is enjoyable. I was looking at the flour and wasn't directly facing him when a member of staff quite passive aggressively said 'is he yours this one?' Quite shocked I said, pardon me and she repeated what she had said. I replied ‘erm yes he is’, to which she replied 'we’ll he’s messing up my shelves I’ve spent a hour or more sorting them so can you sort him'. I replied to her saying I will have a word, but he’s autistic so maybe be a little more understanding."

Ellie said that the member of staff then suggested that she should not have brought him shopping. She said this left her “gobsmacked”. She added: "I was filling up with emotion and my son was getting stressed so quickly.” Ellie has since complained to head office and praised staff she spoke to for their understanding.

How has the incident affected her and Lewis since?

Ellie, who says she has not been back to the store since, said: "Lewis actually asked me not to be autistic so he could go to Asda and be good boy - this broke my heart. I explained to him that this lady was very grumpy and rude as this is the level in which he can comprehend the situation, as this goes round in his head for days as he struggles to regulate his emotions.” She added that her other son Alex, 14, had also been quite upset, not wanting his brother to go shopping again in case somebody upsets him.

What did Asda say?

An Asda spokesman said they were looking into the matter. He added: "We apologise that Ms Broomfield had a negative experience when she visited our Fulwood store. We want all of our customers to feel welcome when they shop with us and we are looking into this with the colleagues at this store."