Shoppers have been stunned to see hundreds of items being wasted after a power cut saw goods "expire" overnight.

Tesco Taplow has closed all of its fridge and freezer aisles to the public as shop assistants work to clear out the goods.

It is understood all items from these units are to go in the bin.

One customer, Engela Harris, 45, from Taplow said: "It's really upsetting.

"It should have been given to a charity - to the homeless."

Engela has a history of working in the catering industry and was shocked to find even products like juice and butter are being binned.

"It isn't the shop's fault though. They are going by the guidelines," she added.

While in the store, The Observer witnessed a man asking if he could buy orange juice. He was told by store workers it was "expired" and therefore couldn't be sold.

Another customer, who wished not to be named said the situation is "terrible".

"It is such a shame. It could have gone to the Slough Salvation Army."

Signs could be seen on the exterior of the shop and on every fridge and freezer, reading: "Due to a power cut in the area we have a fridge and freezer breakdown in store. Sorry for any inconvenience."

One shopper thought it was "ridiculous".

"In this day and age, it is wrong that they don't have a backup - they don't have planning."

A Tesco spokesperson said: “Our store team in Taplow are working hard to replenish the fridges and freezers following a power cut last night.

"We apologise to our customers for any inconvenience caused.”

The store is currently open to the public but is selling limited goods.

Under food safety regulations, chilled food has to be discarded if left unrefrigerated for four hours or more. This means it cannot be sold or donated to charity.

Nearby, Sainsbury's in Taplow also encountered issues due to the power cut.

The store closed to the public earlier today, with men standing at the entry with a sign reading: "Closed due to power cut. Sorry for the inconvenience."

A staff member told the Observer that they were able to save all of the goods by moving them into fridges in the warehouse run by a generator.

A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: “Our Taplow store is now open as usual. It was closed this morning due to a local power cut and we are sorry for any inconvenience caused.”

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks confirmed that a power outage occurred last night and impacted 420 customers between 1:50am and 3:20am.

A spokesperson added: “The fault on the high voltage network was restored quickly to all homes by engineers carrying out a switching process.”