HUNDREDS of schoolkids in Shettleston have been accused of flouting face covering rules in nearby stores.

The youngsters from Eastbank Academy are said to be entering shops without wearing anything over their nose or mouth, despite Scottish Government rules enforcing this.

This includes the Tesco Extra store in Annick Street where scores of teenagers head for lunch.

READ MORE: Glasgow Mum refuses to send son to Bannerman High School following Covid-19 cluster

Glasgow Shettleston MSP John Mason is among those concerned and he visited the shop on Monday, counting 123 pupils entering without a face covering of any kind.

Mr Mason said: “I completely accept that there is a problem. I have to say I blame Tesco more than I do the school for not at least challenging them.

“While I accept that not all adults shopping at the store are wearing masks when they should be, it is a relatively small proportion of the customers.

“So to see so many young people going in during a relatively short space of time is concerning as it surely must increase the risk level.

Glasgow Times: John Mason has written to Tesco bosses John Mason has written to Tesco bosses

“I suspect this is not an isolated case but is likely to be happening across the country, especially if a secondary school is in close proximity to one or more shops.”

Mr Mason has now written to Tesco bosses calling on them to do more to enforce the wearing of face coverings in their stores.

In his letter, Mr Mason wrote: “I have been contacted by a number of constituents in relation to the volume of school pupils being allowed into this store at the same time who are not wearing face masks.

“There seemed to be no apparent challenge from store staff.”

A number of cases of the virus have broken out amongst schoolkids in the city since the return of full-time education earlier this month.

None of these have been directly linked to the education hubs involved and instead are community clusters. 

Bob Morton, a retired schoolteacher, says he contacted both Eastbank’s headteacher and Tesco chiefs after seeing the scale of the breaches last week. 

The 68-year-old said: “This is a mass breach of Covid-19 rules and no one seems to be taking any responsibility over it.

“Last week, I was standing outside and telling the kids they had to wear them. Most ignored me or even just abused me, which you expect.

“Others said they have asthma, which would mean more than 120 kids have it.

“Who is responsible for this? The school said it’s not them and they don’t have time to make sure the kids are wearing the coverings.

“The worry would be this could lead to another cluster.”

Glasgow Times: The pupils attend nearby Eastbank Academy The pupils attend nearby Eastbank Academy

It's understood Eastbank's headteacher Jonathan Graham took action to stop pupils entering the shop yesterday. 

A letter was also sent to parents reminding them of the need to wear face coverings. 

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A Glasgow City Council spokeswoman added: “Pupils are being reminded daily of the importance of following the current guidance on face coverings in shops and indoor areas.  

“Parents, schools and shops all have a role to play in actively reminding young people of the reasons we should all observe the advice to help suppress the spread of the virus.” 

Tesco was contacted for comment by the Glasgow Times.