Redcar Aldi staff lock up and leave friends stuck inside store

Sarah Sinclair, 27, popped into Aldi in Redcar, North Yorkshire, for bread and milk with her boyfriend's brother Luke Miller, 25, just before closing.

While they were browsing the aisles staff seemingly finished their shifts and by the time the pair got the checkout, the shop was empty.

The shoppers had been accidentally shut inside and had to call 101 to escape, eventually making it out a fire exit.

Photo shows Aldi on Larkswood Road in Redcar. (Google Maps)

The pair were trapped for around 30 minutes in total.

Sarah said: "When we first arrived there were people in there and staff at the checkouts.

"We were just wandering around shopping and didn't pay attention until we went to pay and I started to think 'where's the staff'?

"Then we noticed a beeping but at the time, I just wanted my bread and milk so I hadn't thought anything of it - I had barely even noticed the sound.

"We started looking around - I turned to Luke and he said 'oh no'.

"We couldn't believe it and I was laughing so hard I thought I'd pee until I started thinking 'but what do we actually do?'.

"When all the doors were locked I started thinking I'd have to open a drink off the shelf.

"But I also thought about how there would probably be a bed among the stuff in the middle aisle so we'd be ok!

"Eventually Luke called 101 and the police told us to try the fire doors - we ended up having to go into the stock room at the back to find one that opened, and finally we got out.

"The manager called Luke into the store in the following days and gave him a bunch of flowers and a crate of lager as an apology.

"At the time we had no idea what would happen but looking back we just find it funny.

"I have no idea how it happened and how nobody saw us in there because we weren't hiding - but we got out in the end!"

The pair were trapped during a shopping trip on December 27.

ALDI declined to comment.