Tesco discards '£4,000 worth' of bikes in skip

A branch of Tesco Extra in Stretford, Greater Manchester, has reportedly been caught scrapping bikes with a claimed worth of £4,000 rather than donating them to charity.

A skip containing the bikes was spotted by an agency delivery driver, reports The Manchester Evening News, who said the haul included children's bikes and BMXs. There were said to be at least 24 bikes in total, with some still in their original boxes.

>>> Cyclist’s tumble into canal captured on Strava

The driver was 'disgusted' by what he saw and said there was nothing wrong with the bikes.

“There are people out there struggling to make ends meet and Tesco are getting away with throwing these bikes away.

“If people don’t complain then they’ll just keep getting away with it. It must be happening all around the country.”

>>> Italian town offers cash incentive for people to cycle to work

In a statement, Tesco said the bikes were not new and that this was an isolated incident at this one store.

“Our Stretford store chose to dispose of a number of three-year-old, ex-display bikes that had parts missing and could not be reduced to clear or offered to colleagues. In future, we will ensure any similar items are first offered to local charities, as we do with a large range of products.”

Tesco came in for some criticism on social media, and responded to reiterate their position.

Supermarket wastage has been in the news recently, with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's War on Waste highlighting problems with rejected food.

This incident suggests that unwelcome disposal of stock extends beyond edible produce.