Lingdale shop owner's wall of £2,000 'pay later' receipts
BBCA shop owner is allowing his struggling customers to take essentials from his convenience store and pay for them when they can afford to.
Abid Hussain, who runs Family Mart in Lingdale, has hundreds of "pay later" receipts totalling £2,000 on a wall.
He said customers usually settled up, but feared the situation would "get worse" due to the cost-of-living crisis.
"These are proud people who are suffering," he said.
Mr Hussain, who has run the shop for more than 20 years, said: "We are a small village and people are going through difficult times. We're a local, community-serving business.
"When someone comes in and they stand there and they say: 'Can you help me I've got no money?' it's difficult to say no.
"We are a rich country, why should we be in an area where people are begging for food? - it's ridiculous."
He added that the vast majority of his customers do pay back the money that they owe.
Mr Hussain is hoping to set up a voucher scheme this winter to give free, hot meals to struggling families.
One customer, who did not wish to be named, said: "The staff are wonderful. They've helped me through the pandemic and I'm pleased I live here because if I lived in a city I wouldn't get the help."
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