A SHOPPER has accused a supermarket of neglecting its duty of care when staff refused to dial 999 for her fiance, who had collapsed and was unconscious in the store.

Staff at Asda in Orbital Shopping Park told Denise Lewington, 43, they could not even call for an ambulance as Kevin Allen, 45, bled on the floor, because they were not first aid trained.

Kevin is still undergoing scans to determine why he blacked out on September 20.

Denise was forced to wait for 10 minutes for a first aid-trained member of staff to arrive.

In the heat of the moment, Denise said she was too involved tending to Kevin to phone for an ambulance herself.

“At the time I felt vulnerable and scared. I needed someone I could put my confidence in until the ambulance came,” she said.

“Afterwards I was angry more than anything. I wanted to get it dealt with.

“Now, I’m disappointed, frustrated and appalled.”

The couple, who live in Castleton Road, Middleaze, were coming to the end of their shopping trip when Kevin collapsed.

An ex-serviceman was on hand to put Kevin in the recovery position, but Denise was incensed by the behaviour of the nearest staff members.

One called a first aider but she said another continued to scan items through the till.

She said she waited 10 minutes for a first aider to arrive on the scene.

About 35 minutes after the initial fall and 20 minutes after Kevin regained consciousness, an ambulance arrived.

While Denise was happy with the assistance offered by the first aider, she is puzzled by how few of Asda’s staff were trained and why they did not use their initiative to call for an ambulance.

“It’s important the public know it’s not automatic if you’re expecting help,” she said.

“Things aren’t in place for people to be looked after.”

“I assumed they’d have something in place – they haven’t.”

Denise also said she was promised a report on what had happened in the store and a courtesy call to check on Kevin.

She received neither until after the supermarket giant was contacted by the Advertiser, two weeks after the incident.

She was then told all staff had to volunteer to be trained in first aid and there was no cash incentive for them to do this.

“They have not broken any laws, but they have a duty of care,” said Denise.

A spokeswoman for Asda said: “We’re sorry for the upset caused to the couple when visiting our store.

“We’d like to reassure them this won’t happen again and look forward to welcoming them in store again soon.