SUPERMARKET staff allegedly refused to serve a woman after claiming her Help for Heroes charity wristband meant she supported the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Beth Hoyle, of Whitworth, claims she was turned away from the tills at Asda in Dane Street, because the checkout operator objected to 'what she was wearing'.

The 'stunned' mum-of-three said: "My hand instinctively went to the Celtic cross around my neck. But the young lad on the till said it wasn't that, pointed to my Help for Heroes wristband and accused me of supporting the war. I told him it was nothing to do with the war, but about supporting our injured troops."

Mrs Hoyle, whose brother is an ex-paratrooper, complained to a supervisor but was shocked to hear he backed his staff member's approach.

She added: "I immediately complained to a supervisor, but he said the cashier was entitled to his opinion and it was his right not to serve me. I was disgusted."

Help for Heroes was founded in 2007 to help the wounded servicemen and women returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

The charity's patrons include Johnson Beharry VC, General Sir Richard Dannatt and Andy McNab, as well as celebrities including Ross Kemp and James Blunt.

Mrs Hoyle said she didn't hesitate about supporting the charity.

She said: "I bought two of the £2 charity wristbands from the local post office for myself and my son. I've also bought Help for Heroes Christmas cards and intend sending Christmas boxes to some of the troops, and I'm encouraging other like-minded people to do the same. Asda is owned by Walmart, which supports the American troops. I think this reflects very badly on the store. When you're working in a customer-based industry you should keep your opinions to yourself."

Whitworth Town councillor and Help for Heroes supporter David Chorlton, knows the Hoyle family and also wears a wristband.

He said: "A lot of people may not support the war but they do want to help the lads who have been badly injured. There are a lot of lads from Rochdale out there."

An Asda spokeswoman said: "We are big supporters of the Help for Heroes campaign and we sell the pin badges and wrist band in hundreds of our stores. That's why we were shocked and surprised to hear of an incident involving one of our colleagues at the Rochdale store. We are not aware of any incident of this nature taking place. If it were to be found true we would take it very seriously indeed. That's why we'd like to take this opportunity to invite the customer back into the store if she'd like to discuss the details with the store manager. We can then look to investigate the matter."