A MOTHER and son with disabilities from Runcorn have been left in shock after claiming to have been isolated from three stores.

Twenty-two year old Mark and his mother Joyce Reilly, 53, visited two Aldi stores - one in Widnes and St Helens and B & Q in Warrington and claim that staff are treating people with disabilities horrible and unfair.

Mark suffers with heart problems and sever's disease - (a type of bone injury in the lower back of the heel of the foot which attaches to a growth palate and becomes inflamed). His mother Joyce has cancer and has had chemotherapy which resulted in loss of hearing, alongside radiotherapy and several operations.

He explained that they had visited the Widnes store at the Tesco near the roundabout on Sunday, May 24 where there was a queue and he had went to get a trolley for his mum.

"Security at the door informed us that it was one person, one trolley. My mum didn't want to get a trolley because her nurses have told her not to touch anything when she is out.

"I explained to the security guard that is a stupid policy because my mum pushing an empty trolley would spread germs onto her. He got defensive and said I was calling him stupid when I wasn't.

"He made my mum push an empty trolley around the Aldi store but he was letting three to four people in behind us with just one trolley.

"When I spoke to the manager he said he would go out and speak to him but he did not appear to do so."

The pair also visited Aldi's sister site in St Helens on Clock Face Road the previous week - (Saturday, May 16) where they say they encountered a similar situation.

Mark added: "We had parked in a disabled bay and there was no queue. I went to get a trolley and saw one of the Aldi staff - a woman by the entrance.

"My mum shouted me and asked what the woman was saying because she couldn't hear her or read her lips, As she was quite far away I was struggling to hear her.

"After arguing with her for around 10 minutes I gave up and went to the back of the queue. There was an elderly man behind us who she had also told to get to the back of the queue and a woman. She told us all to move for no reason."

Explaining that this type of incident reoccurred when they visited B&Q in Warrington, he continued: "We went for some compost and plants and had parked in a disabled bay. "We waited over half an hour in the queue with our carers. When we got to the front a woman asked if were we all together and that only two people could enter the store at a time.

"We explained that we are both disabled and that is why we had a carer each, but she still refused to let us in saying that she didn't care if you have cancer or are disabled and that our carers could not come in with this was the store's policy.

"My mum has a peg fitted in her stomach because she can't eat or drink and if she lifts heavy things it can rupture the peg. This is why she needed her carer with her."

To diffuse the argument Mark and his mother's carers then sat in the car.

"When we came out there was a woman arguing with the same worker on the door because she was told to leave her child in the car in the heat.

"There were also children left in cars and it was a scorching day - I wouldn't have put a dog in a car on a day like that. Anyone one of them kids could have died.

"After reducing my mum who suffers from anxiety to tears in the queue I spoke to someone in the shop who said they couldn't do anything and then I spoke to head office who weren't bothered about the way we were treated and said it is their rules.

"Their rules are wrong if it means carers are spilt from the people they are caring for."

"My mum hadn't been out anywhere apart from her daily radiotherapy appointment in December. Her first three times out in months have been a nightmare and it has made her not want to go out.

"If shops aren't going to train their door staff properly then they shouldn't be on the door."

Commenting on the matter, an Aldi spokesperson said: “Whilst we encourage those who can to shop alone, we fully understand that some customers need to be assisted and have communicated this to colleagues at both stores.

“We want to assure the Reilly family that they are welcome to shop together at any of our stores and we are sorry for their experience.”

A spokesperson for B&Q also said: "Similar to shopping at a supermarket, B&Q is strictly limiting the number of customers in store at any one time and has put strict social distancing measures in place. As part of this, we’re asking shoppers to limit their shopping group to no more than two people.

“In line with this policy, we advised the family of four that only two people, not the entire group, could enter the store. We did ensure that one member of the family was accompanied by a carer while in the store.

“We are also asking customers not to bring under 16 year olds shopping. This policy is down to the manager’s discretion and reviewed on a case by case basis. Where an exception is given parents must ensure their child stays with them at all times.”