A disabled grandmother was made to feel like a second class citizen when she was forced to shop with a cardboard box.

Sandra Johnstone, 64, from Clairmont Street in Edmonton likes to shop at her nearby Lidl in Sterling Way.

She suffers from a chronic lung disease, asthma and fluid in her spine forcing her to use an electric wheelchair.

When Ms Johnstone shops, she places a small basket on her lap, however, two months ago Lidl replaced the baskets with larger wheeled ones to drag along the floor – she cannot use these baskets easily.

She said: “When I asked for a basket to use that I could put on my lap I felt as though I was just shrugged off.

“They gave me a cardboard box to use and I felt like an afterthought.

“People who need a chair like me are being ignored and our needs are not being taken into account.”

Ms Johnstone was left wanting to cry after being given a box every time she has gone to Lidl.

Her husband also suffers from respiratory problems and needs a constant feed of oxygen, this has left him in a wheelchair unable to help her.

This leaves her 34-year-old daughter as her primary carer and helps her mother shop whilst also pushing her own one-year-old in a pram.

Ms Johnstone added: “I felt like a second-class citizen, and it’s not right.

“I should be able to shop on my own but they are making it difficult.

“I have the same rights as anyone else at the end of the day.

“I’m left wanting to cry because no one wants to know or help.”

A Lidl spokesperson  said: "It is always our aim to ensure that our customers enjoy the best possible experience when shopping with us, and we're sincerely sorry to hear that this was not the case on this occasion.

"We can confirm that the store team have made arrangements for a smaller basket to be ordered to the store, which will be kept aside for the customer to use."