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Tesco customer sued over grocery delivery
A Tesco customer may have to pay compensation after a delivery driver decided to sue him months after slipping on his driveway.
But last night the supermarket distanced itself from their driver's action and said it did not support his attempt to sue one of its customers.
Paul Singleton, 40, has used the store's online shopping service for several years with drivers turning up at his door every few weeks to unload his groceries.
One evening in April, driver Andrew Britton, 44, of York, mentioned that he had slipped on his sloping driveway but assured Mr Singleton that he had not been hurt.
The incident appeared to have been forgotten until last month when the father-of-two received a solicitor's letter telling him he was being sued because Mr Britton had twisted an ankle.
The estate agency manager could now face a compensation bill and higher home insurance premiums if he loses the case.
Mr Singleton, who lives in Hemingbrough, Selby, said: "I've been using this service for at least three years. It was so easy – I would press a buzzer to open my front gate and the driver would come in.
"My driveway is perfectly safe and only slopes down by about an inch. On April 10 one of the drivers mentioned he had gone over on his ankle. I asked him if he was OK and he said 'yes, mate, no problem.''
"He carried on unloading the bags from the van and seemed fine, so I thought no more of it. The deliveries continued for three months with no problems until I suddenly got a solicitor's letter out of the blue telling me the driver was suing me because he had injured his ankle after falling on my drive.
Mr Singleton said his driveway was paved with a slight slope and was "undulating" but no-one had any problem before.
"I think the driver must have jumped from his van to the floor instead of slowly climbing out and injured himself that way."
Mr Singleton has employed a solicitor to handle the case.
Last night, Tesco said it would do all it could to help Mr Singleton.
A spokesman said: "We do not support this claim and do not think that it is appropriate for our customer to be sued. We are contacting Mr Singleton to reassure him of our intention to resolve the issue without inconveniencing him further."
No-one from Mr Britton's solicitors, Thornleys, of Huddersfield, was available for comment but the firm said in a letter to Mr Singleton it alleged fault because he failed to maintain the driveway allowing areas to sink and form a depression into which Mr Britton stepped and injured himself.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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