A SUPERMARKET has apologised to disgruntled shoppers who are fed up with having to trudge across a pavement covered in bird muck just to get to the store.

Residents have labelled an area littered with bird poo, cigarette butts and discarded chewing gum next to the entrance to the walkway in Wellington Street, leading to the Tesco superstore, as a 'major health hazard'.

The supermarket giant has apologised for the mess, after contact from The Observer, and pledged that staff are working hard to clean it up.

Richard Golding, of Warren Close, Langley, said: "The floor is covered in bird muck. Thousands of people have to walk through that, and they then walk it into a food store - it is a major health hazard." It is believed the mess is caused by birds who use the underside of the bridge above for shelter. The mess is directly outside the lift and walkway entrances.

A Tesco spokeswoman said: "We are aware of the issue, and our staff have been working hard to clean up the area as regularly as possible.

"We apologise to our customers for the mess and are looking into how we can reduce this problem in the future." However, Mr Golding does not think enough is being done. He added: "It is never cleaned. I've reported it to the council - it amazes me public health officials have not looked into it." A council spokeswoman said the area is owned by Tesco and was therefore not its responsibility to clean.

Do you shop at the store? What do you think? Is enough being done to clean the area, or do you think it isn't much of a problem? Let us know below.