A Waitrose employee who was sacked for tackling a shoplifter has been offered a new job by a rival supermarket chain.
Iceland's chief made a public proposal to Walker Smith, 54, who lost his position after working for Waitrose for 17 years.
Mr Smith was fired from his role two days after a "brief struggle" with a shoplifter who was attempting to steal Easter eggs in a south London branch of the high street supermarket.
However, the ex-Waitrose employee's luck could be on the up after Lord Richard Walker, executive chairman of Iceland, intervened online.
Reaching out to Mr Smith, Lord Walker said: "You're welcome to a job with us. We even share the same name..."
The job lifeline followed Mr Smith sharing his appreciation for those who had supported his course of action and confirmed his "priority is getting a job".
The ex-assistant said: "Thank you everyone for getting in touch with kind messages and support, I really appreciate it.
"I didn't think it would blow up like this but now it has my priority is getting a job. I'm based in Clapham Junction so if you or anyone you know is looking for a reliable, conscientious employee please reach out.
Walker Smith, after a 17-year stint at the high street supermarket has been sacked for stopping a shoplifter | GOFUNDME / WALKER SMITH"I was at Waitrose for 17 years so warehousing, customer service – except dealing with shoplifters(!), or similar would be amazing. Thank you all."
The fateful confrontation that led to Mr Smith's sacking began when a customer pointed out to the shop assistant that someone had filled a Waitrose bag with luxury chocolate eggs, priced at £13 each.
Mr Smith recognised the individual as someone who had previously stolen from the store and decided to intervene, ripping the bag from the shoplifter.
However, the thief fought back, with the pair locked in a short struggle, before the chocolate bunnies tumbled to the floor after the bag tore apart.
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Iceland boss has offered Mr Smith a lifeline
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Mr Smith picked up a chocolate fragment and threw it at some trolleys in fury.
However, he has maintained he was not looking to target the shoplifter.
Despite his heroic intervention, Mr Smith was chastised for the incident by the supermarket's bosses.
Staff at the store had been told not to confront people stealing goods. Nevertheless, the worker explained he had been pushed to his limits after watching years of shoplifting go unpunished.
The British supermarket chain has since been widely criticised for the decision to fire the assistant.
The Tories have written to Waitrose requesting the return of the employee, with Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp insisting the ordeal was indicative of a wider problem across Britain.
He added offenders are increasingly behaving "brazenly and with little fear of consequence".
Not only did they demand his reinstatement, but also a bonus package for his "bravery and initiative".
A spokesman for the higher-end supermarket previously told GB News: "The safety and security of our Partners and customers couldn’t be more important to us, and we have policies in place to protect both.
"We’ve had incidents where our Partners have been hospitalised when challenging shoplifters. Luckily, they have always recovered, but that might not always be the case.
"There is a serious danger to life in tackling shoplifters. We refuse to put anyone’s life at risk and that's why we have policies in place that are very clearly understood and must be strictly followed.
"As a responsible employer, we never want to be in a position where we are notifying families of a tragedy because someone tried to stop a theft. Nothing we sell is worth risking lives for."