Asda workers have been “stabbed, punched and threatened with syringes” while one in three have been attacked at work, according to a new survey from GMB Union.

In a poll of 1,000 Asda staff, GMB found that 58% reported to have suffered injury or illness on the job, while 35% said they were a victim of verbal or physical violence while carrying out their role. This includes broken bones, being hit with bottles, being spat at and receiving death threats against them and their children.

The union’s report also claims that Asda delivery drivers have been chased by people in cars, and confronted by nude customers, while in-store workers have had products such as watermelons and joints of gammon thrown at them.

The poll, which is set to be discussed at GMB’s annual congress in Bournemouth on Tuesday, comes as the rate of violence against shop workers has soared in recent years.

Last October, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) found that the daily number of incidents of violence and abuse against retail workers has rocketed 50% to 1,300 in 2023.

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GMB national officer Nadine Houghton called the union’s findings “horrifying” and said “no one should have to suffer this kind of abuse and violence at work”.

Houghton added: “But this situation is only going to get worse as staff hours are slashed, leaving less people in store and those who are there more vulnerable.”

A spokesperson for Asda told The Guardian: “Unfortunately, like all retailers, we have seen an increase of violence and aggression towards our colleagues during the last few years. The safety of our colleagues is a primary concern, which is why we have invested over £30m during the last three years to upgrade the CCTV systems in stores.

“We work with all of our colleague representatives in the important area of colleague security and also back calls for violence or abuse against retail workers to be made a standalone criminal offence in all parts of the UK, and hope this is a priority for any incoming government.”

In April the government announced its intention to introduce a new retail crime legislation that would see assaults on shopworkers made a standalone offence.

Earlier this week, Labour renewed its pledge to clamp down on violence against shopworkers, with shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper vowing that the party was “determined” to pass the new law and “make sure it taken seriously by the police”.