An Aldi store in Kent was forced to close its doors after a rat jumped out in front of horrified shoppers.
Tunbridge Wells mother Sammie Daw, 35, said she had been out buying ingredients for a Sunday roast with her teenage son when she encountered the "gross" creature.
Ms Daw arrived at the Aldi at around 1pm, but was left horrified after the rodent jumped out from behind some trays of chicken before scurrying off.
The 35-year-old quickly told shop workers about the animal, leaving them with no choice but to shut the store down.
Ms Daw was buying ingredients for a Sunday roast with her teenage son when she encountered the 'gross' creature
| PAThe mother said she was later informed that the store was temporarily re-opened, but was closed again as pest control attempted to track down the rodent.
Ms Daw told KentLive: "[The rat] was about the size of my hand.
"I was so shocked at first, cause it made me jump, then I felt gross and immediately put back the chicken.
"It ran back towards the fridge. I could see its claws and long tail. I managed to get a photo of it.
The store temporarily re-opened, but was closed again as pest control attempted to track down the rodent
| ALDI"When I got home, I felt disgusting and wiped my food packaging with antibacterial wipes."
A spokesman for Aldi said: "We have rigorous hygiene procedures in place at all stores and acted swiftly when this issue was raised.
"The store was immediately closed whilst we rectified the issue and conducted thorough checks.
"The store is now open as normal.”
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Although Britain's total rat population is difficult to estimate, it is believed there could be up to 300 million of the vermin scurrying around the country.
Cleankill pest control founder Clive Bury told the BBC he has witnessed a "remarkable" rise in call-outs to deal with the rats in the past two years.
The British Pest Control Association (BPCA) said that over the past five years, more than 50 per cent of its member companies have experienced a rise in callouts for rat-related activity.
Over 500,000 cases of rodent infestations were recorded by councils across the country between 2023 and mid-2025.
There could be up to 300 million rodents living in Britain
| GETTYAlmost a quarter of these were recorded in London, with the North West of England and Scotland not far behind, reporting around 95,000 and 70,000 cases respectively
Explaining the reasons behind the Britain's rat surge, Drain Detectives drainage expert Stuart McGinn told The Independent: “Urban density is one of the biggest drivers, as is the case in London, which has a complex underground network of drains and older infrastructure that rats can easily exploit.
"More people also equals more food waste, bin storage, and ample conditions for rats and rodents to thrive.
“Aside from just populated cities, some regions with higher infestation numbers, like parts of the north west or Scotland, also have large numbers of aging buildings with outdated drainage systems."
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