DISABLED shoppers say they have been left in tears over being turned away from supermarkets or finding empty shelves.

Stores across the country have been battling to keep shelves stocked as coronovirus spreads but panic buying has seen even the most basic essentials being snapped up by shoppers.

Kelly James, 40, from Portslade, was left her in tears when she went to the Sainsbury’s supermarket in West Hove.

She is registered disabled with osteoarthritis fibromyalgia and other conditions which make it difficult for her to walk.

But despite taking documents and her Blue Badge to the store for the hour set aside for those deemed “elderly or vulnerable”, she was refused entry.

She said staff at the door were rude to her and told her to go away. She claimed store staff threatened to remove her, but she was eventually allowed in.

Ms James said: “It was really horrible trying to put across my side to them. I’m not on crutches but sometimes I use a mobility scooter.

“It is a struggle every day and I deal with that persecution every day when I use a disabled bay. In their minds it must be as if I’m somehow faking it.

“I felt really upset and discriminated against. I have nothing to hide, but they just decided because I don’t look disabled that I therefore wasn’t. It is unbelievable.”

Stores have been telling the media they are setting aside time for the elderly and vulnerable shoppers – but many have found shelves already stripped of every item by the time they arrive.

This week Brighton and Hove City Council leader Nancy Platts wrote to supermarkets, urging them to take steps to make sure vulnerable shoppers and key workers such as doctors and nurses can get vital supplies.

She asked retailers to consider limiting the total number of items people can buy, amid scenes of shoppers snapping up multiple packs of toilet roll, meat, pasta and tinned food. Meanwhile 25-year-old Malia Paige, from Hove, attended the Tesco store in Church Road at the time apparently set aside for elderly and disabled customers.

But she said it was a time set for one hour after the store had already been opened for more than an hour.

As a result she found shelves were stripped bare, with nothing left for her to buy.

Ms Paige also suffers from fibromyalgia, a condition which causes pain all over the body.

“When I got in and saw the empty shelves, I was shocked,” she said.

“There was nothing on the shelves. I burst into floods of tears on the floor. It takes a lot for me to go out. For me to go to the shops is usually a big event, so I was really upset.”

She said there seemed to be no communication or leadership from the supermarket to make sure shelves were stocked and said the situation left her anxious and stressed.

Ms Paige added: “We were told there would be signs to alert customers about the hour for the elderly and disabled, but there wasn’t. It feels like it’s just a publicity stunt.”

Meanwhile pensioner Michael Sayers, 74, said he walked two miles to Morrisons in Brighton to be confronted by empty shelves.

He said: “Boris Johnson says the elderly should self-isolate. What about our food supply? I am 74 and do a two-mile round trip on foot to avoid buses to get to the supermarket.

“I am at risk when I enter the supermarket. But worse I am met with empty shelves. I was outside Morrisons at 7am and there was a queue of 30 or 40 people already.

“Many of the shelves were empty. A problem with the supply, I was told. The Government says this is a war-like situation, in that case they should do what they did in the war, they should ration goods.”

Tesco said: “The priority shopping hours for elderly and vulnerable are one of the ways we’re trying to help these customers get access to the things they need.

“We had our first hour yesterday morning and while overall the feedback has been positive, we know some stores were still very busy during this time, as they had been since we opened at 6am.

“We’re working round the clock to get products on shelves but the reality is availability is challenging at the moment and that’s why we’re asking customers to help us by giving priority to elderly and vulnerable customers during these times slots, which are advertised in stores.”

Sainsbury’s was contacted for comment.