I was branded a thief as I left shop

Dr Nand Singh was leaving Waitrose in High Street, Worthing, when a store employee began shouting at him.

Dr Singh, of Dyke Road, Brighton, was in his car and driving out when he was ordered never to come back.

He said: "I was being shouted at rather angrily. I suddenly found myself the centre of attention and five other shoppers stood staring and listening to the commotion."

Dr Singh, 33, even checked his pockets to make sure he had not inadvertently left without paying for an item.

He said he felt embarrassed and upset.

He tried to find out what the problem was but the employee held up his hand, refused to listen and walked away. Dr Singh, who practises in Worthing, said two other store employees laughed as they stood watching the incident.

He complained and was later invited to the store where he received an apology over what the store manager claimed was a case of mistaken identity.

Dr Singh said since the insult occurred in public he wanted the apology on posters at the store or in public some other way. Waitrose refused, he said, but in a statement to The Argus, the supermarket said: "Waitrose prides itself on its high standards of service and takes customer concerns very seriously.

"We have apologised unreservedly to Dr Singh for this one-off incident."

Dr Singh said his behaviour in the store might have seemed erratic - he was searching for an item he could not find.

But, he said, his reputation was jeopardised by the incident and there was no justification for the accusation or the way it was "publicly and insensitively" handled.

He said he would be reluctant to shop at Waitrose in the future.

He said: "The error this time was theirs. Had it been mine, judging by the way they treated me, I hate to think how they would have behaved.

"I don't think they were professional and I really believe you need to treat people better than that.

"I am indebted to The Argus. For me, this is a result. My character has been cleared."