Bow tie wearing man climbs on crisp shelf for Tesco complaint

Police were involved in an hour-long standoff with a man who had climbed the crisp shelf in Tesco to protest against the store.

During the protest at Merthyr Tydfil Tesco, the 57-year-old, who claimed to have been falsely accused of shoplifting, stripped to the waist, donned a bow tie, took a police helmet from an officer and unsuccessfully tried to climb on to the store’s roof.

Tesco security staff used trolleys and stock cages to cordon off the snacks aisle while police negotiated with the man, who entered wearing a green jump suit.



He addressed the stunned shoppers with a megaphone while helping himself to drinks from the neighbouring aisle.

Customers shrieked when he stripped to the waist, gasped when he tried scaling a building support and applauded when he was finally brought down by a police officer who used a store ladder to get up onto the aisle.

A spokesman for South Wales police said: “We received a call at 12.30pm to say a 57-year-old man had climbed onto an 8ft shelf. Officers attended and the man was brought down at around 1.20pm.”