Shoppers were shocked to see a rat in the Tesco store at Great Notley.

One of the customers, Susan Dawes, saw the rodent run across an aisle and under a shelf in the store.

Tesco said they take pest control very seriously and assured the public they perform regular checks to ensure safety.

Mrs Dawes said: “I was shopping in Tesco at about 9.30am last Tuesday picking up a few bits but as I was walking down the spirit aisle it literally ran from one side under the shelf straight across in front of me to the other side.

“I was quite shocked to see that.

“The staff were really shocked themselves and got straight on the phone to the manager."

See this week's Braintree and Witham Times for the full story.