Shielding East Lothian man on benefits was unable to afford Asda shop due to add-on fees for delivery and spending under £40

A shielding East Lothian man living on benefits says he was unable to afford his Asda shop because of add-on fees for delivery and spending under £40 - despite signing up to the Scottish Government's priority list.

The man, who does not want to be named, said he had £30 left in his bank account to pay for a £26 shop last week but because of a £4 delivery fee and £3 charge for the lower spend, it pushed his total balance over what he could afford.

He had tried calling Asda customer services to sort out the problem but was told they hadn't received his details from the government, who he says then told him to contact the council. It meant he was left relying mainly on weekly grocery boxes from the government containing basics like pasta, tinned tomatoes and fruit and veg - but on two occasions he was only given one box when he was shopping for two.

He said at one point last week he had to feed tinned meatballs from the pack to his dog because he was unable to buy dog food without access to priority shopping with Asda, and he was often relying on friends to bring him products which he could only get from the supermarket.

The man says he was unable to afford his Asda shop because of the extra charged for delivery and spending under £40.

He says he felt "neglected" and just wanted to "buy his own food each week," adding: "I never believed in all my life that I would be begging the government or supermarkets to let me buy food. I never believed that in Scotland.

"It's a joke to think that people in my situation, with not a lot of money, are faced with this. I am just asking for the right to shop for free. I just want a priority shop so I can buy things like dog food, shower gel, soap - things I need, not just food."

But The Edinburgh Evening News, which has seen an official Scottish Government letter and text messages confirming the man is shielding and classed as a priority shopper, stepped in to sort out the problem.

A spokesperson for Asda confirmed they have been working with the Scottish Government to resolve the issue and have now given the man a priority shopping pass - and he has now managed to book a slot for free delivery on Saturday.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said they were "sorry" to hear of this case and would be contacting Asda to resolve the issue.

The man, who shops for himself and one other person he cares for, was only told to shield by a doctor after about 10 weeks of lockdown despite having underlying conditions which are known to increase risk with Covid-19. He had been admitted to intensive care previously when fighting a virus.

But he made the decision to shield throughout lockdown and has often relied on friends to get him shopping items he can only get from supermarkets.

And he says East Lothian Council "saved his life" in desperate times of need with workers and volunteers sending over food parcels when his cupboard and fridge were getting bare.

He continued: "I've got a delivery slot for Saturday with Asda and that feels like a lottery win for me. I am really grateful and it means a lot to me and I'm very grateful for everything the Evening News has done.

"The help that East Lothian Council has given me too, with food parcels, has been really appreciated."

The man also said he was unable to access priority shopping at other supermarkets on the list provided to him through the government text service, although Asda is where he has always shopped. He said he was able to do an online shop recently at Iceland but this was limited to frozen food.

People who are shielding can sign up for priority access to supermarket delivery slots with Sainsbury, Asda, Tesco, Morrisons, Iceland and Waitrose via the SMS Shielding Service, by calling their local authority directly or via the free national helpline on 0800 111 4000.

The Asda spokesperson said: “We know how important it is for our most vulnerable customers to be able to receive home shopping deliveries which is why we have prioritised over 900,000 orders to shielding customers since the start of the lockdown.

“After working with the government we are pleased that (this customer) is now recognised as needing a priority delivery slot and are looking forward to delivering to him this weekend.”