Parents have been using vouchers designed to replace free school meals to try and buy alcohol, cigarettes, bras and Lego, according to supermarket staff.
The vouchers scheme was introduced to ensure children didn't go hungry as parent were forced to spend more feeding them while schools were closed, but a worker at an Asda store told the Hull Daily Mail parents seemed to see them as free money instead.
Instead of food for their children, many are trying parents have to use the vouchers for non-grocery items even though some specify they should not be used to buy alcohol, cigarettes or lottery tickets.
"We've literally had abuse from customers who want to buy alcohol with them when we refuse," she said.
"And I got so much abuse from a customer the other day because she wanted to buy her son Lego.
"I had told her she wasn't allowed to buy toys with the voucher because it was intended to pay for the school dinners. You wouldn't go to school and buy Lego.
"But because the vouchers don't say it seems they're allowed to buy whatever they want."
The supermarket worker, who did not want to be named, said the problem of people misspending the vouchers had become a "big issue".
She said: "One guy came up with three cases of Carling, which were on offer for £21, no food or anything, and I refused the voucher.
"He said to me, 'I spend enough on them t***ing kids as it is'.
"I just looked at him. I couldn't believe he had said that to me, he was just so appalled that he couldn't spend the voucher on the booze.
"People are just idiots. They're selfish and greedy. It's a big issue."
And she said the problem was a persistent one and that she was still seeing "three or four customers per day" trying to use the vouchers to buy non-grocery items.
"I've had parents wanting to buy their own underwear, bras and other things for themselves," she said.
"The problem is that on the vouchers that do say buying alcohol is prohibited, we can police it, but when they don't we can't.
"It needs to be clearer so people can't take advantage."
