'Scared to go to work': Shop assistant tells MPs about customer abuse

A shop worker has told how being a victim of abuse by a customer left her "terrified" and "scared to go to work".

Finnola Tzagorakis, from London, said the man had subjected her to "racial remarks" and "even threatened to go after my children".

She was in Parliament to share her story as MPs debated tackling abuse against people in customer facing roles.

MPs from different parties shared examples of abuse from across the UK in the Westminster Hall debate.

Tzagorakis, who is also an Usdaw trade union representative, said she was glad they were bringing the issue to public attention.

She described her firsthand experience of the problem after asking a customer if they would like any help.

"He started shouting at me, he was threatening me, he was swearing," she told MPs.

"He started saying racial remarks towards me. I started backing off to get away from that environment, then he started following me. He even threatened to go after my children.