Fight scene: shoppers were shocked last week when what one described as a ‘mass brawl’ broke out in the Purley supermarket
Working in high street retail can be tough enough at the best of times, but staff and customers at Tesco at Purley Cross were left shocked last week when what one eye-witness described as “a mass brawl” broke out between the aisles of groceries and Christmas goods.
Shopfloor staff and the Metropolitan Police confirm that while there were three arrests, no one was charged.
The incident involved a group of young men who assaulted store security guards. The incident was not related to shoplifting, staff have confirmed.
One member of the security staff suffered a minor cut to their forehead, another had a young man spit in his face.
A Tesco spokesperson said: “Our colleagues work hard to serve our customers every day, and every member of our team deserves to feel safe at work.
Tough times: Tesco say that they are concerned for the well-being of their staff and customers. ‘Our stores should be safe places to work and shop,’ one staffer said
“We continue to assist the police with their inquiries following the incident last week.”
One eye-witness account said that they saw a security guard jump on a guy who was trying to leave, while another was “pinned to the floor”.
A staff member said the incident was “very serious with several people assaulted”.
A concerned shopper told iC, “What’s truly astonishing about all this is that even with multiple witnesses and CCTV all over the place, the police in the end decided not to charge anyone. Merry bloody Christmas, eh?”
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