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Shop's barrier fastened by 'twig' | Shop's barrier fastened by 'twig' |
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A store has blamed vandals for having to use a piece of wood to hold a car park barrier in place. | |
Shopper Keith Mills criticised Aldi in Ebbw Vale after returning to his car to find the barrier on his windscreen. | |
Last week, supermarket giant Asda was fined £225,000 for health and safety breaches after a Cardiff customer was killed by an unsecured barrier. | Last week, supermarket giant Asda was fined £225,000 for health and safety breaches after a Cardiff customer was killed by an unsecured barrier. |
Aldi said the wood was used temporarily at the weekend after a padlock went missing but it had now been replaced. | |
Mr Mills, 32, said he parked alongside the barrier on Saturday on a trip out with his toddler son Tomos-Lloyd. | Mr Mills, 32, said he parked alongside the barrier on Saturday on a trip out with his toddler son Tomos-Lloyd. |
When the pair returned, the barrier had been moved or had blown over the front of his Fiat Bravo car, denting the bodywork, he told the BBC. | When the pair returned, the barrier had been moved or had blown over the front of his Fiat Bravo car, denting the bodywork, he told the BBC. |
He said: "If I had parked at a different angle, it would have hit the window. | He said: "If I had parked at a different angle, it would have hit the window. |
"That could have come through the back window and that's where my baby car seat is." | "That could have come through the back window and that's where my baby car seat is." |
The barrier fixed in place with a piece of wood at the Aldi store | The barrier fixed in place with a piece of wood at the Aldi store |
Mr Mills said he remembered reading about the court case in which Asda was fined over the death of Kenneth Farr at its Cardiff store. | Mr Mills said he remembered reading about the court case in which Asda was fined over the death of Kenneth Farr at its Cardiff store. |
Mr Farr, 37, of Penarth, died in May 2002, after an unsecured barrier smashed through his car windscreen at the Asda store in Cardiff Bay. | Mr Farr, 37, of Penarth, died in May 2002, after an unsecured barrier smashed through his car windscreen at the Asda store in Cardiff Bay. |
Newport Crown Court heard the two-week inquest into his death was told the barrier, which was difficult to close, should have been locked in place with a padlock, but was not secured on the day Mr Farr died. | Newport Crown Court heard the two-week inquest into his death was told the barrier, which was difficult to close, should have been locked in place with a padlock, but was not secured on the day Mr Farr died. |
Mr Mills said: "If that could happened there, it could happen elsewhere. Every store should have checked its barrier." | Mr Mills said: "If that could happened there, it could happen elsewhere. Every store should have checked its barrier." |
He said after moving the barrier off his car and back in to place, he found a strip of plastic cord on the ground under the barrier and used that to tie it in place. | He said after moving the barrier off his car and back in to place, he found a strip of plastic cord on the ground under the barrier and used that to tie it in place. |
Photographs | Photographs |
"It did cross my mind to go in to Aldi and complain but my son was crying so I just re-attached the plastic cord and went home," he added. | "It did cross my mind to go in to Aldi and complain but my son was crying so I just re-attached the plastic cord and went home," he added. |
He said he returned the following day and found the cord had been replaced by what he described as "twig". | He said he returned the following day and found the cord had been replaced by what he described as "twig". |
He said: "I can't imagine kids putting a twig in there." | He said: "I can't imagine kids putting a twig in there." |
On Tuesday, a spokesman for Aldi said the piece of wood was used "as a precautionary measure". | |
He said: "It was in place temporarily since the padlock that is normally used was missing, most likely as a result of vandalism on Friday night, 25th January. | |
"A new padlock was swiftly purchased and put in place on the afternoon of Monday, 28th January." | |
The store said it would be speaking to Mr Mills to "investigate thoroughly" his complaint. |