Co-op refuses to serve soldier after return from Afghanistan - because he was still in uniform

Sent away: Sapper Anthony Walls left the supermarket empty-handed when staff refused to serve him because he was in uniform

A soldier who had just arrived home from Afghanistan was refused service at a supermarket and told they didn't serve people in Army uniform.

Sapper Anthony Walls called into a branch of the Co-op for some beers after a gruelling 34-hour journey from Kandahar.



The 27-year-old, of 21 Engineer Regiment, said it was his 'first hour back in the real world' after dodging Taliban bullets for four-and-a-half months helping build 'the most dangerous road in Afghanistan'.



But when he arrived at the till he says he was met with a blank stare from the cashier who refused to serve him and called for her manager.



The manager told Mr Walls he 'couldn't do anything about it' and refused to serve him while he was in uniform. The soldier - who was on his way to his three-year-old nephew Jack's birthday party - walked out of the shop in New Addington, Croydon, in a daze.



'I was deeply hurt,' he said yesterday. 'All I was thinking about was getting home to Jack in time to wish him a happy birthday.



'It was great to be home after a difficult journey and I just thought I'd grab a couple of beers - a luxury I hadn't had in a while.



'But when I came to pay the cashier refused to serve me and rang her bell. A male supervisor came along and the cashier explained she was refusing to serve me because I was in uniform.



'He looked at me and said ''I can't do anything about it''. I put the beer down and walked out. I was shocked.'



Mr Walls, who joined up when he was 17, said it was 'tough' in Afghanistan and that he had witnessed the death of one of his best friends, Sapper Daryn Roy, who died at the age of 28 in an IED explosion in May.



He added: 'Sometimes the only thing that keeps you going is the support and love from home.



'I appreciate the Co-op cashier may have had her own opinions about the war, but we are just doing a job and laying our lives down for this country. A little respect and appreciation would be nice.'



Mr Walls's sister Claire Lloyd, 33, said she was 'disgusted' at her brother's treatment at the Co-op store on July 17.

Home: Walls was on his way to his three-year-old nephew Jack Lloyd's, right, birthday party. His sister Claire, middle, is 'disgusted' with the way Anthony was treated. The Co-op said the incident was a 'genuine mistake'

The mother of four added: 'I am so proud of Anthony. He works hard and willingly puts his life on the line every day.

'Anthony and his colleagues are the unsung heroes of this country. They deserve the respect and civility extended to anyone else in a uniform.'



A spokesman at the Co-op's headquarters in Manchester said the incident had been a 'genuine mistake on the part of our two members of staff' and apologised for how Mr Walls, who flew back out to Afghanistan this week, was treated.



The spokesman added: 'This had nothing to do with anyone being against the war in Afghanistan. It's a simple case of a misunderstanding of company policy.



'Years ago we had a policy which meant we wouldn't serve police officers in uniform, but that is no longer the case. The cashier thought she was doing the right thing.'

