Shoppers have launched a protest in Tesco over what they claim are draconian clampdowns over litter.
Campaigners angry at private company Kingdom, which patrols car parks for a raft of local authorities, targeted a Tesco store in North Wales to express their anger at what they say are “heavy handed tactics”.
The protest, which took place inside the Tesco superstore at Llandudno Junction, called on Tesco bosses to ban Kingdom officers from patrolling and handing out fixed penalty notices on its land.
Those who took part formed a conga chain as they chanted demands for the company to stop its patrols.
John Foley, one of the organisers of the protest, told the Liverpool Echo: “There was about 100 people that turned up for the anti-Kingdom protest and they were men, women and children.
“The reason it was held at the Tesco is because a lot of people have been targeted there while doing their shopping - and we wanted to call on the supermarket to say this isn’t allowed.”
Earlier the Liverpool Echo reported Asda had told Kingdom that it cannot allow its officers to operate on the premises of any Asda in Liverpool.
However, under current environmental legislation, enforcement officers employed by local authorities have a statutory power to access private land that is open to the public to carry out enforcement for littering - including open air store car parks.
A Tesco spokesman said: “We have highlighted the concerns raised by some of our customers at our Llandudno Junction store to the local authority. We would encourage anyone with concerns about the operation of litter enforcement officers in the area to raise them directly with the council.”
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