Paul Smith, a former council candidate from Birmingham, has publicly criticised Aldi after discovering a dead rat and a large amount of litter in the supermarket's car park on the Bristol Road in Selly Oak. He visited the store on Sunday, August 16, and described the condition of the car park as 'disgusting'.
Smith, who described Selly Oak as a 'forgotten' area of Birmingham, shared photographs on social media showing empty beer bottles, empty beer cans, and the dead rodent. In a video posted online, he said: "I've come to Aldi in Selly Oak. Aldi, one of the biggest grocers in the country, but look at the state of this."
Call for Action
Smith emphasised that the mess was on Aldi's property, not the council's responsibility. He said: "I normally call out the Council, but this is in the car park, the bottom of Aldi's land. I know Selly Oak has been forgotten quite a bit anyway, I don't know what anyone is doing to try and keep the place clean."
He continued: "But this is disgusting, this is on the car park. This is a business car park and they're letting this go. I'll show you the worst bit, look at this. Sorry I hope you weren't eating your dinner but that was a dead rat. Aldi car park, Selly Oak. Sort it out, this is disgusting."
Aldi's Response
An Aldi spokesperson responded to the criticism, stating: "We work hard to ensure our stores and car parks are clean, safe and well-maintained for customers, and our Selly Oak site is regularly cleaned and inspected. We are aware of issues with waste accumulating near our Selly Oak Store and have raised these with the relevant authorities. We understand that this has been logged and will continue to engage with the appropriate parties to help ensure the issue is resolved as quickly as possible."
The spokesperson's comments indicate that the company acknowledges the problem and is taking steps to address it, though the exact timeline for resolution remains unclear. Smith's complaint highlights ongoing concerns about cleanliness in the area, which he believes has been neglected.
