A SHOP workers' union has slammed the release of a man with just a police caution after he repeatedly punched a supermarket worker in the face.

The 32-year-old worker at Asda, off Hyndburn Road, Accrington, was left with cuts and bruises on his head after the attack.

He had been approached by a 42-year-old local man while on the shop floor at 4.20pm on Friday, September 15.

His attacker pushed him to the ground before hitting him several times in the face, police said.

The man was arrested by officers two days later, but was only given a police caution for the assault.

USDAW, the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers, is campaigning for tougher action against people who assault shop staff.

And it condemned the "light" treatment of what it considers to be a serious crime. USDAW spokesman Paul Clarke said: "It doesn't matter how slight the injuries were, a caution is not an appropriate way to deal with an assault.

"To give out a light punishment for an attack on someone in their workplace sends out the wrong message."

Mr Clarke added: "There seems to be a trend in the retail sector where workers are facing a culture of violence. More than 20,000 shop workers a year are physically assaulted by customers.

"USDAW takes a hard line on these matters and encourages retailers to apply for ASBOs to ban violent shoppers from their premises."

He continued: "It is up to the police and the courts to deal with this type of crime effectively, and a sentence should reflect the seriousness of the crime.

"The shopworker may only' have cuts and bruises, but the mental scars of this attack could affect him for a long time."

A spokesperson for Asda said: "Our first priority is the health and safety of our customers and colleagues.

"Our colleagues work very hard to deliver a good customer service and we will not tolerate people verbally, or physically abusing them.

"We will be doing everything we can to help our colleague get over this incident."