A supermarket in Manchester has left some locals agape after pictures emerged showing staff piling heaps of fresh produce into waste carts after fridges failed on Monday night.
It is understood that some refrigeration units at Tesco in Stretford failed on Monday after a day of soaring temperatures across the region brought highs of over 35C.
Images shared with The Manc show large amounts of food being emptied out of fridges and dumped into wire carts at Stretford Tesco as aisles were blocked off.
After speaking with customers who were there, The Manc understands that much of this produce was marked as waste and then thrown away.
This is in line with existing hygiene regulations, which mean that food that hasn’t been able to be stored at the correct temperatures must be removed from sale – either to additional cool space or to be disposed of entirely .
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Still, some who witnessed it were left in shock at the amount of food being wasted at a time when many are struggling to feed their families.
A customer who wished to remain anonymous told The Manc: “Stretford Tesco’s fridges broke and they were piling the contents of every fridge into trolleys to bin it all.
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“I felt sick. There wasn’t a single fridge with stuff in and it’s a giant Tesco.”
Image: The Manc Group
They added: “We thought maybe the temperature was too warm in there and it brought the temperatures of the fridges up too much to be able to keep things at the right temperature.”
Elsewhere, at another large Tesco store in Prestwich, produce was seen being taken out of freezers but staff told customers that it was not being thrown away but rather stored in the back to keep it cool.
— Maze of Deception (@MazeofDeception) July 18, 2022
Images shared on Twitter suggest that the problem is not unique to Manchester but is happening across the country, with some social media users speculating that thousands of pounds worth of produce has been binned as a result.
One user wrote: “All the fridges and freezers in the big Tesco have stopped working due to the heat #BigTroubleInBigTesco.”
It is not the first time that such an issue has occurred at the supermarket, with similar reports often cropping up in previous years whenever there has been a surge in temperatures.
Legally here in the UK, supermarkets are well within their rights to destroy unsold food but some campaigners have argued that the law should be changed to make such food waste illegal.
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According to food waste charity Fairbite, 250,000 tons of food is thrown away in the UK each year by supermarkets whilst at the same time some citizens find themselves facing hunger as they do not have the money to feed themselves.
In France, there are new laws on fighting food waste that mean French supermarkets are forbidden from destroying unsold food products and are instead compelled to donate it to charities.
Image: The Manc Group
Since this law was introduced in France in 2016, food poverty campaigners in the UK have argued that similar measures should be adopted here to prevent edible food being wasted when millions of people are going hungry.
According to the Food Foundation, a total of 7.3 million adults and 2.6 million children experienced food poverty in April 2022.
A Tesco spokesperson said: “Some refrigeration and freezer units at our Stretford Extra store are currently being worked on at by our maintenance teams who will get them back up and running as soon as possible.
“We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”
Feature image – The Manc Group
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Channel 4 to air exclusive new documentary about the disappearance and death of Lancashire teen Jay Slater
Emily Sergeant
An exclusive new documentary taking an inside look at the the disappearance of Jay Slater is coming to Channel 4.
On the morning of 17 June 2024, 19-year-old Jay Slater – an apprentice bricklayer from the Lancashire town of Oswaldtwistle – disappeared on the island of Tenerife in Spain, after attempting to walk 14 hours back to his accommodation when there was no local taxi service available and no bus due for 90 minutes.
From then commenced one of the biggest missing persons cases in recent British history.
As the world’s media were following the story minute by minute last summer, producers at Channel 4 were in the incredibly-unique position where they had access to the Coronial process in Lancashire, and this has led to the exclusive documentary title The Disappearance of Jay Slater.
From Jay’s post-mortem to Jay’s inquest, the team have been with the family every step of the way over the last year, as they try and understand exactly what happened to Jay outside of the public gaze
Jay was ultimately pronounced dead on 15 July 2024 after Spanish police reported the discovery of a body in the vicinity of the area of interest, but before this discovery and eventual announcement, the internet became awash with public discourse, conspiracy theories, and more.
The Disappearance of Jay Slater is described as being ‘the family’s story’.
Channel 4 will air an exclusive new documentary about the disappearance and death of Lancashire teen Jay Slater / Credit: GoFundMe
The documentary is set to follow them as they search for answers about what happened to Jay, witnessing the conspiracy theories raging online and the subsequent horrific abuse they received as a family – which is an hourly onslaught that continues to this day.
These cameras were the only media in the world granted full access to film both Jay’s post-mortem and inside the church at his funeral.
But the broadcaster claims this documentary is not only the story of Jay’s tragedy, it’s also the story of ‘the new world we live in’ where so-called true crime armchair detectives run wild.
“The story of Jay Slater captured the nation last summer with a fervour and intensity fuelled by armchair detectives and internet culture,” commented Channel 4’s Commissioning Editor, Rita Daniels, ahead of the documentary airing.
“We are so glad to be working on a sensitively handled exploration of the family’s experience, and understanding the impact of being in the middle of a social media storm, amplified by grief.
“The film holds a light up to our current society and is exactly the story that is a necessity for Channel 4 to tell.”
Executive Producer Anna Hall added: “It is appalling what has happened to Jay’s family, and we hope this film will help to bring awareness of the real life consequences of online speculation. It is an unmonitored world where fake news runs rife, and this film shows the devastating impact this has had on one grieving family.”
The Disappearance of Jay Slater is expected to air on Channel 4 later this year, but no official dates have been confirmed as of yet, so keep your eyes peeled.
Featured Image – GoFundMe
News
Section of major Salford road to close for six months while ‘essential works’ are carried out
Emily Sergeant
A section of major Salford city centre road is set to close for six months while ‘essential works’ are carried out.
As part of Salford Rise – which is a key element of the wider £2.5bn 240-acre Crescent Salford masterplan being delivered by the Crescent Partnership, comprising ECF, Salford City Council, and the University of Salford – Frederick Road is set to close from next month to enable essential construction across the carriageway.
The new 220-metre elevated walkway is aiming to provide a traffic-free route over the road for pedestrians and cyclists, all while continuing to improve community connectivity.
The Salford road will be closed to both vehicles and pedestrians between Lissadel Street and Leslie Hough Way while the walkway is built.
A section of a major Salford road will be closing for six months while ‘essential works’ are carried out / Credit: Crescent Partnership
Vehicle diversions will be in place via Lissadel Street, Cromwell Road, Gerald Road, and Seaford Road during the six-month period, and pedestrians will be able to walk up Broughton Road East to get around the closure.
Access to the North of England Robotics Innovation Centre (NERIC), however, will be maintained according to the Council.
Salford Rise is described as being ‘the backbone’ of the Crescent Innovation and a ‘transformational element’ of the wider masterplan.
Frederick Road will be closed for six months starting from 12 July for essential #SalfordRise construction works. The road will be closed between Lissadel Street and Leslie Hough Way to both vehicles and pedestrians as the 220m elevated footway gets built above it 🏍️ 🛻 🚙 pic.twitter.com/6gWXKeNZBG
— Salford City Council (@SalfordCouncil) June 17, 2025
The 29-acre area – which received planning permission last year, and is set to complete in the summer of 2026 – is made up of dozens of new homes and 1.7m sq ft of commercial, academic, and research floorspace built on existing state-of-the-art research and development facilities to drive further economic growth in the city and wider region.
While the work on the walkway is ongoing, there will also be parking restrictions in place on Lissadel Street and Broughton Road East for ‘pedestrian safety’.
“Salford Rise is a key regeneration project that will unlock the potential of the Crescent Innovation zone and better connect our communities with the wider Crescent area,” commented Councillor Mike McCusker, who is the Lead Member for Planning, Transport, and Sustainable Development at Salford City Council.
“These essential works will enable us to continue towards our goal of developing a green walkway and high-quality public spaces, improving accessibility and encouraging active travel as well as creating employment and education opportunities across the Crescent area.”
Georgina Pellant -
19th July 2022 
