Claims that rough sleepers and passers-by are to blame for litter collecting outside a Huddersfield store have been rubbished by an angry resident.
The Examiner has reported this week how the Milnsbridge resident emailed Aldi chief executive Giles Hurley to complain about litter outside the store at Scar Lane. She attached pictures of litter at various locations, including a trolley park and a ginnel running alongside the store.
She told him: “I am sick to death of picking up rubbish off my street that is blowing over from your store due to your slovenly attitude towards litter around your property.”
Replying by email, Aldi area manager Matt Shields said: “The area that you appear to be referring to in your email has a particularly high footfall and the main area pictured is located near a busy bus stop which results in a large amount of litter being dropped by the passing traffic.
“We recognise that the presence of any litter in the vicinity of our store impacts our customer’s experience and while I agree with you that there is a problem with litter being continually dropped, the areas you have photographed and referred to are actually public rights of way that do not technically fall within Aldi’s boundary’s (sic).
“While this may be the case we do conduct regular litter picks of the perimeter of the store.
“Unfortunately, the store has had ongoing trouble with anti-social behaviour and rough sleepers around the perimeter of the store who in the past have left broken glass and needles.
“We therefore have to be mindful of this when conducting litter picks, particularly in areas that do not fall within our responsibility. If an employee were to injure themselves, Aldi would be held culpable as they would not have been on our property.
“If needles are found, no further litter pick in that area can be conducted by our own staff and we have to seek the assistance of a specialist.”
The resident, who has asked not to be named, emailed back: “I live opposite the store and there have been no rough sleepers and the rubbish does not come from passing cars or passengers on buses. The rubbish are Aldi receipts and packaging from Aldi branded products. The receipts and rubbish accumulation is around shopping trolleys and this ginnel.
“I shop at Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Asda and find it strange they don’t experience the same issues as you and you are using a lack of responsibility as an excuse.”
Mr Shields told her he would visit the store to see if things could be improved by having more bins around the perimeter of the store.
He said Aldi was “proud and passionate about working with and serving the community of Milnsbridge” and was a “proud sponsor” of the Greenstreams Project working with Environmental Kirklees Ltd and Milnsbridge Enhancement Group to maintain and improve the site for the benefit of people and wildlife along the River Colne.
The resident also claimed that floors and freezers inside the store were sometimes unclean and Mr Shields said comments about the cleanliness in the store would be passed to the store caretaker and external cleaning contractor.
“The store is cleaned daily and audited weekly and monthly,” said Mr Shields. “Please rest assured cleanliness and hygiene is of the utmost importance and your feedback will be taken extremely seriously and followed up with the relevant parties.”
Aldi was asked to comment again but did not respond.
