A volunteer at a charity shop says he was told 'go home and never come back' because he smoked a cigarette outside.

David Laing has been helping out at the British Heart Foundation shop on Peel Street for 18 months and wanted to help because his mother died from a heart condition three years ago.

David, 45, from Wharncliffe Street, started volunteering whilst unemployed.

"I've enjoyed helping out and really thought I was doing something useful," he said.

But this week as David took a break he stepped outside the shop and lit up a cigarette as he stood on the pavement.

He says a visiting area official from the charity came outside and told him to stub out his fag.

David says he refused pointing out he was on a public footpath.

"At that point he told me to go home and never come back- to be honest I was shocked, angry and upset."

"As far as I am concerned I have done nothing wrong, I was in a public place."

Diane Locke, of the British Heart Foundation, said it has strict smoking guidelines for employees and volunteers.

"In this situation, and in line with our policy on smoking, we asked a volunteer on a number of occasions not to smoke outside our store but he refused and we had no other option but to ask the volunteer to leave."