Shop workers across Wales have shared their experiences of violence, threats, and abuse.

The accounts were gathered by retail trade union Usdaw as part of its annual survey.

Interim results from more than 4,000 retail staff show that 69 per cent have experienced verbal abuse, 45 per cent were threatened by a customer, and 17 per cent were assaulted in the last 12 months.

The union said that 70 per cent of the incidents were triggered by shoplifting, with two-thirds linked to addiction.

Paddy Lillis, the union's general secretary, said: "Shop workers deserve far more respect than they receive and these experiences from Welsh retail workers make very difficult reading.

"It is shocking that over two-thirds of our members working in retail are suffering abuse from customers, with far too many experiencing threats and violence.

"Our survey demonstrates that theft from shops is not a victimless crime, with incidents regularly being a major flashpoint for violence and abuse against shop workers."