Customers visiting the Tesco supermarket in Warndon, Worcester have expressed their disgust at the lingering “gross poo smell” that permeates the entire supermarket.
Complaints about the odour first surfaced in 2017, with drainage issues suspected as the cause.
However, in recent months, locals have noticed the stench becoming more prominent than ever, deterring them from purchasing their weekly fruit and vegetables.
Disgruntled shoppers have said they are forced to hold their noses while navigating the aisles to avoid the overpowering pong that fills the air.
Peter Vanderweele, a resident of Worcester, previously boycotted the supermarket when the issue first arose and had only recently returned, only to be confronted with the same foul smell once again.
He said: “It puts you off – full stop. You would not go in a pub with that smell, but it appears to be worse as they are selling food, not just food in tins and jars but fresh food.
“When it happened before, I stopped going there, and it took years for me to go back. They don’t even have something on the door which says it smells horrible. It hangs over all the store. I just thought it could not go on like this.”
Joanne Hardwick, a 53-year-old resident of Warndon, has also noticed the offensive smell. She remarked it hits customers as soon as they enter the supermarket, resembling a drain odour.
She said: “It smells like drains and they don’t even offer any discounts to compensate. I notice it all the time, especially near the veg and fruit.
“It’s not particular hot either today. It’s been smelling for a month. I’m thinking if it was hot it would make it worse.
“I still go as it’s convenient for me. It does need to be sorted. It’s not nice at all.”
Jean Jones, a 66-year-old resident of Warndon, shared Ms Hardwick’s sentiments. Ms Jones admitted she has to hold her nose while shopping, especially in the vicinity of the fruit and vegetable section.
She believes Tesco should conduct thorough investigations into the issue and even suggested temporarily closing the store for a proper examination.
She said, “It does smell like sewage. I could smell it near the vegetables and the fruit. It’s near the toilet. It does put me off buying the fruit and veg there.
“It could be the farmers spraying the fields. You should really shut the store and investigate it.”
Tim Potter, 41, of St John’s, Worcester, said: “It’s like a gross poo smell. Nobody wants to do their shopping with that lingering around. I’ll go elsewhere now.”
Tesco said maintenance teams are working to resolve the issue but the smell poses no health issues and is not caused by any kind of sewage.
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