SHOPPING BLOCK
Man trapped in Wilkos all night after falling asleep in doorway ‘after night out’
A MAN spent the night in a Wilko store after falling asleep in the doorway following a night out.
The mystery partygoer was trapped in a one-metre gap on the wrong side of the shutters for 14 hours at the branch in Lancaster, Lancashire.
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He was heard pleading with passers-by as he banged on the shutters just before 8am.
But it wasn't until staff rocked up for work that they realised he was stuck in a "blind spot".
Local Ethan Brahney, 22, clocked his cries for help coming from the inside of the metal shutter, in front of the shop's glass doors.
And he found the man's predicament so hilarious he whipped out his phone to film him.
In the short clip, he says: "You alright mate?" to which he replies: "I can't get out!"
Ethan then asks how he got in there and then man responds: "I fell asleep last night and someone's locked me in."
Trying to hold back his laughter, Ethan replies: "You’ve been locked in the shutter?
"S*** man, awh I’ll f***** give Wilko a call to see if anyone's there."
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Hilariously the trapped partygoer then pleads: "Have you got a cig on you mate?"
Cracking up, Ethan replies: "Nah man, I don't even know how I'd get it to you, there's a f***ing grid in the way.
"I can't see you. That is f***ing class man. He's stuck in the gutter, in the grid.
"Ahh I tell you what man you have just brightened my morning up with that. All the best brother."
Ethan claims he didn't call the retailer as it opened in 45 minutes and he knew the man would soon be rescued.
But the Wilko in Lancaster city centre closes at 5.30pm, meaning the man must have been imprisoned for almost 14 hours.
LOCKED IN
Musician Ethan said of the incident on January 27: "I assume he'd just had a night on the drinks, fallen asleep and the shutters have come down automatically when the shop closed.
"We've all had a rough night like that - you can't blame the lad for wanting a kip.
"I'm not sure about how people didn't see him because it's not as if it was dead, there were a few people out and about.
"I think he'd just been on a night out, I think if he was homeless he would've had a spot that's more permanent.
"I've no idea who the guy is, that's why I'm keeping the video up, the guy's anonymous so it's a funny video rather than a mocking one."
A Wilko spokesperson said the store team was aware of the man and had met him "several times".
They added: "There’s a metre gap behind the shutters where he sometimes sits and every night they check through a spy hole to make sure nobody’s there before closing the shutters at 5.30/6pm.
"On this occasion however he was sleeping in a blind spot and they didn’t see him.
"The team let him out as soon as they realised what’d happened in the morning at roughly 8am as they hadn’t been made aware any earlier.
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"They invited him into store to check he was okay and apologise.
"We’re planning on looking at additional security for this door to prevent anything like this happening again."
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