Co-op apologises after Stanway shop's doors are blocked

The customer, who requested to remain anonymous, was visiting the East of England Co-op store in Peartree Road when he noticed trollies in the way of one of the premises’ doors.

It meant there was only one way out of the shop, which has a double sided entrance and exit foyer, during the 53 year old’s visit on Friday.

The Co-op has since apologised for the blockage, stating the doors are out of order and awaiting repair.

But the customer argued anyone should be able to see a map of the building more easily in case of an emergency.

Blocked - the doors

He said: “It made me feel claustrophic because I don’t know the layout of the building or where the fire exits are.

“It made me fear if there was an emergency I would only know the entrance, I couldn’t just wander into staff restricted areas and familiarise myself with areas I could escape via.

“If one of those electric doors were to fail we’d all be stuck in the shop. It’s not just a fire to worry about but if there was a terrorist attack or someone is attacking people with a knife it causes panic.

“People trying to get to some form of safety would be unable to do so. If you can’t get out of a building during an emergency, you can’t be safe.”

No entry - the doors from the outside

A spokeswoman for the East of England Co-op stated customers are made aware of the doors being out of action through notices in place.

She said: “Our Stanway store has a double sided foyer, meaning there are two entry and exit points within a few feet of one another for our customers to use.

“The set of doors are currently out of order awaiting repair, which is why they’re temporarily closed.

“Notices can be seen on the doors and the trollies have been placed as a further signal that the doors are temporarily out of action. We’re sorry to hear that this has caused concern.”