A DISTRAUGHT woman slashed her throat in front of horrified shoppers and staff at a Blackburn supermarket.

The 19-year-old collapsed immediately and was left covered in blood in the home section of Asda, Grimshaw Park, as staff called the emergency services and rushed to help.

She was taken to hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening following the incident which happened at 3.30am, police confirmed.

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There were only a handful of shoppers in the 24-hour store at the time, but one said that staff quickly acted to cover the wound and administer first aid to the woman. Paramedics arrived shortly after.

The shopper said: “It was horrific and her hands were covered in blood.

“Everyone was traumatised. One woman who rushed to her aid was crying over what she saw, and she kept saying ‘she’s cut herself, she’s cut herself’.

“The staff were fantastic given what an appalling thing they had to witness. They did everything they could to help her.

“They cleaned the store and were back to serving customers in no time. It was a very difficult situation which they handled marvellously.”

It was thought the woman turned up at the store at about 2am looking dazed and confused, with a cut on her forehead.

It is understood she was overheard telling one worker ‘I am in pain’ and was then seen wandering the aisles, without doing any shopping, before she slashed herself with a knife that had been on display.

She had earlier been in the toilets where she may also have injured herself, due the amount of blood staff later found there.

A police spokesman said: “We were called by the ambulance service at shortly after 3.30am on March 5, to a report that a woman was self-harming at the Asda store.

“Officers attended and a knife was removed from a 19-year-old woman who had sustained superficial injuries. She was taken to hospital by ambulance.”

Asda did not respond when asked about the actions of staff, and whether they have since been offered counselling or other support.

“But a spokesman for the company said: “We’re currently assisting the police with their investigations.”