A DIABETIC pensioner was told to leave a supermarket for eating a sandwich she had bought from the store itself – despite explaining she felt unwell and needed to sit down and eat. Elsie Douce, 79, suffers from diabetes and high blood pressure and became

A DIABETIC pensioner was told to leave a supermarket for eating a sandwich she had bought from the store itself - despite explaining she felt unwell and needed to sit down and eat.

Elsie Douce, 79, suffers from diabetes and high blood pressure and became out of breath on arrival at Asda supermarket on Monkswood Way in Stevenage. She asked to sit down and eat something before continuing.

She and her daughter, Gail Wynne, bought a sandwich and a drink from the store and sat down in the caf� area.

But they were soon asked to leave the area by restaurant manager Carl Matthews, because they didn't purchase the food from within the caf�.

Mrs Wynne, 47, from Welwyn Garden City, said: "To ask an elderly frail woman to leave just because she was eating a sandwich was despicable.

"Due to the nasty taste this situation has left me with, I have promised my dear old mum that we shall be taking our shopping list elsewhere from now on. Asda can stick their sandwich and their restaurant and we'll take our business to Tesco or Morrisons."

But Mr Matthews has dismissed the incident, and called the allegations that he threw the pair out as "junk".

"People have to purchase food from our counter or cooler," he said. "That's our policy and it's always been our policy. There's a sign up saying that to our customers.

"I was polite and she didn't like it. The accusations that I threw them out are junk.

"I've been a manager at this store for a long time, and in my opinion it's just one of those people who want to moan and take it further.