Waitrose suspends 17 members of staff for ‘eating half-finished meals left by customers’

WAITROSE suspended 17 of its staff – after accusing them of tucking into customers’ leftover grub.

Workers at the posh supermarket’s Milngavie store in Glasgow were told to go home after suspicions were raised that they had been chomping on food left by customers in the store’s cafe.

Bosses at the high-end store are believed to have caught the staff in the act on CCTV.

One worker was even sacked, the reported.

A source said: “There are 25 workers at the cafe and 17 of them were suspended on full pay after this came to light last week. One of them, a woman, was then sacked at a disciplinary meeting.

“The others are now terrified they are going to be for the boot as well.

“The allegation is that they have been helping themselves to food from the cafe. When a customer has left an unfinished meal they have been eating the remains rather than throwing the food in the bin.”

The unnamed source said bosses had acted too harshly, especially given that the food was only going to be thrown away.

They added: “For example, if someone has ordered a brownie and not been able to finish it, the worker has had a couple of bites of the leftovers on the way back into the kitchen.

“It all seems a bit harsh when you think that the guys have obviously just been hungry and most of the food was going to be thrown out anyway.”

A Waitrose spokesperson told The Sun: “We are unable to discuss any personnel issues but I can confirm that the cafe in our Milngavie branch is operating as normal.”

We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368