A man who had a chunk of his ear bitten off when he was just a teen is now concerned he might have to stop using shops when new laws come in requiring people in England to wear face masks - as he thinks it could 'ping off'.
Danny Queen, a butcher, lost a piece of his right ear when he was attacked aged just 18.
Now Danny, 36, thinks he might have to avoid shopping at supermarkets after Friday 24 July because he doesn't think he has enough ear left to hold a mask safely in place.
Posting on Facebook, the dad-of-two wrote alongside a photo of him trying to wear a mask: "Thanks to the tosser that bit me ear off when I was 18. Now it's become a problem." The post went viral, racking up thousands of shares and likes.
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Danny, who lives in Doncaster, said: "The masks feel like they're going to ping off any second. They're not painful, they're just awkward.
"There's a little bit of my ear left and I can still wrap [the elastic] round. I tuck it onto my ear then it pings off. If I move my head fast it'll come off.
"I'm feeling a bit nervous about Friday. I'd rather not need to go into every enclosed space with other people and have to wear a face mask, it makes me uncomfortable.
"I probably could go to supermarkets without one but I'd rather not go.
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"I'm worried about people approaching me, or I'll have it wrapped around the bit of my ear that's left and look silly."
Danny says his ear attracts some 'funny looks', but that he's happy the attack didn't impact his hearing.
He explained: "The attack happened when I was 18. I was having a drink around the local town and I got jumped by six lads outside a nightclub.
"There was a bit of commotion outside and I felt pressure on my ear. I felt blood down the side of my face, went to the hospital and they said my ear had been bitten off.
"My family were distraught when the attack first happened, I'm lucky it never affected my hearing.
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"I've learned to live with it now, for the first couple of years it was a bit awkward.
"People do look and stare, being on a market stall you're serving the public and you do get some funny looks.
"Your ear never grows back - it's still uncomfortable no matter what."
Looking ahead to later this week when the new laws come into place, he said: "I don't know if I'll get away with not wearing a mask or not, I don't know if I'll have to get a doctor's note.
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"I don't mind wearing a visor because that goes over your head. I couldn't really argue with that but I'd rather not."
Topics: UK Community, England, Coronavirus