Wigan family buy cat food from Lidl and discover maggots and worms inside

Phil Bailey, 39, and his wife Vicky, 38, went to Lidl on Darlington Street to buy some food for their cat and were horrified by its squirming contents.

Phil said: “We went to Lidl to pick a few bits up, including some cat food. Once we got home we opened it and there were all maggots and worms coming out of it.

"It was absolutely disgusting, so I rang the customer services and put an official complaint in.”

The family were told by Lidl customer services to get the name of the manager of the store in order to pursue the complaint, and as they went back later that evening they discovered that the cat food was still out.

Phil said to the manager: “Do you think that’s wise keeping that out there?” to which they allegedly replied that there was only one damaged box.

As he walked away Phil then claimed that he heard the speaker requesting that all cat food be removed from the aisle.

Phil said: “It was absolutely disgusting. They were all over the worktop and on the floor.

"I’ve got five kids and two babies. Seeing it at tea time just put us off our tea. It was horrible.”

When Vicky initially went in to complain she was told that she could have a £2.59 refund and another box of cat food, which she declined.

Phil said: “I’ve never been to a food market and got food with maggots in it before. We must’ve been the unfortunate ones to pick it up.”

The couple, however, are pleased with Lidl’s customer service response who apologised profusely for the situation. The family are now seeking compensation.

A Lidl GB spokesperson said: "We were very sorry to hear about this matter and are disappointed that our high standards were not met on this occasion.

"We're investigating this with the supplier to establish how this occurred and have contacted the customer directly to offer our sincere apologies alongside a £20 voucher as a gesture of goodwill."