A COVID marshal has been sacked after grabbing a "frightened" shopper and trying to arrest him in an "aggressive" stop and search.
Floyd Langridge, 44, was smoking a cigarette near a Waitrose when he was accused of using cannabis by the warden.
The 44-year-old, who works as a cleaner, said he left "shaken" and "frightened" after the officer grabbed him in Tonbridge, Kent, and falsely accused him of drug use.
He believes the man "abused" his position when he threatened him with arrest and filmed him on a body camera last month.
Floyd told Kent Online: "There were crowds of people going into the post office and not social distancing, but the two marshals were not interested in that at all.
"I felt intimidated and was frightened. One of the marshals was a big man and very aggressive. He grabbed hold of my pockets and tried to arrest me."
Council bosses confirmed they sacked the marshal – who had been hired from a private security firm – with "immediate effect".
Covid-19 street wardens are patrolling the UK's streets under a £60m government scheme to offer advice on social distancing and wearing face masks in shops.
They do not have powers to arrest members of the public.
Tonbridge & Malling Borough Councillor Mark Hood slammed the warden saying he behaved "like a police officer" and called for a review of the scheme.
He said: "Covid marshals are not fulfilling their duties.
"They are meant to be advising on social distancing and making people aware of the guidance, but they seem to be overreaching their remit.
"I am not sure how long we are going to have them, but someone needs to get them to focus on what they should be doing, such as breaking up large groups of people."
A spokesman for Tonbridge & Malling council said there will be "strengthening the training" of wardens in the future.
He said: "The presence of Covid marshals on our streets has been generally welcomed by residents who recognise their role in supporting our response to the growing threat posed by the pandemic.
"We therefore take any complaints about their conduct very seriously and in this instance agreed with the company which provides our marshals that the staff member concerned should be replaced with immediate effect.
"We will be working with the contractor to review and strengthen the training our marshals receive to ensure they are absolutely clear on the scope of their role which is to provide a reassuring presence and help keep people safe."
This comes as two women were "surrounded by cops" and fined £200 each for driving five miles to go on a walk in the park.
Jessica Allen and Eliza Moore were also told the drinks they had with them – two peppermint teas – were classed “as a picnic.”
The pair said they were read their rights when they arrived at Foremark Reservoir in Derbyshire, just five miles from Ms Allen’s home in Ashby-de-la-Zouch.
Meanwhile, four men caught travelling to get a McDonald's breakfast were fined £800 for breaking coronavirus laws.
Cops slapped them with a £200 fine each after pulling their car over at 5am in Bedford Road, Northampton.
The men claimed they were on their way to McDonald's – even though the restaurant didn't open for another two hours.
Enquiries confirmed the four were not from the same household, so the journey broke lockdown rules, which officially came into force at this week.
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