A MOTORBIKE instructor has slammed a Shell garage for 'racism' after he claims he was told to remove his open face helmet - while a woman in a burka filled up next to him.

Liam Bradley, 48, claims he was filling up his bike at the Shell garage at the Three Arches Spar shop in Blackburn, Lancs, when a message appeared on the screen demanding he remove his helmet.

Despite being annoyed that his face was showing as he wore an open face helmet and having used the station “hundreds' of times” Liam obliged.

But the instructor was left furious when he realised a woman in a burka was allegedly being allowed to fill up unchallenged at the same time.

It comes amid as the row over Boris Johnson’s comments about the burka, which he described as looking like a “letterbox”, show no sign of dying down.

Taking to Facebook to vent his frustration, Liam branded the different treatment as “racism at work in Britain”, urging people to share it so as to not “let them get away with it”.

The post quickly went viral with more than 6,000 likes, comments and shares.

"It just annoyed me basically,” said Liam about last Wednesday’s incident.

“The main reason it annoyed me is because it is a petrol station I've used hundreds of times because we work in the area.

"We used to use the petrol station as a rest break with the students and they would go and buy their chocolate and drinks from there.

"So we are always seen around that station and have always been nothing but courteous or respectful."

"I had an open face helmet so people could see my identity. The lady behind the till has served me on hundreds of occasions.

"And yet there was a lady there wearing a burka filling up.

"I could understand it if I was there with a full face helmet on, on a dodgy looking bike, sat there on the back with the engine running while filling up - could totally understand that.

"But not when I have put thousands of pounds through that station over the years. I have not been asked to remove my helmet before.

"I don't want to pursue it any further but I won't be returning to that garage again.”

Liam, who was riding his Yamaha Tracer 900 bike, claims it was the first time he has ever been asked to remove his helmet while filling up in all his three years as an instructor.

Despite his frustration over the situation, he did not express his views to the garage and but decided to vent his opinion on social media.

"Obviously I wasn't expecting it to go viral like this, if that's what people call it. It was a surprise to strike a chord in that way.

"It was never my intention to set off what has happened on Facebook. I put my point across and then everyone has carried on."

Liam claims it was pure chance that he happened to make his post as the row over Boris Johnson's burka comments erupted.

"There is a lot of stuff going on now that I am just going to let it take it's course if you know what I mean. There are lots of arguments on it that I'm keeping out of basically.

"I'm not getting into a debate on what should be done or what shouldn't be done because the way it might be taken is something totally different, and that's what's happened on Facebook at the moment.

"In fact, I go to quite a few BP stations that are ran by Asians and I have never have a problem - they always let me fill up with my helmet on as I have my face showing.”

A Shell spokeswoman said the company would not be commenting.

Spar have not responded to a request to comment.