Aldi bosses have apologised to a gran who was stopped and searched by staff after wrongfully being accused of shoplifting.

Miroslava Jobczynska was detained at the supermarket in Zion Place, Margate, for 30 minutes as workers believed she was trying to hide some items in her trolley bag.

The distressed 65-year-old then called her daughter Edyta saying: “Help me. I’m in Aldi, they’re going through my stuff and I don’t know what’s happening.”

Edyta, a retail worker who lives with her mum in Cliftonville, told KentOnline she rushed to the store and was able to resolve the situation.

But the 26-year-old says the ordeal left her so angry she felt like she was going to “explode”, adding: “After years of being a loyal customer, she’s been accused of being a thief.”

The incident unfolded on Wednesday evening as Miroslava went to pay for her items.

Edyta says a shop assistant came over and began to take things out of her mum’s trolley bag, mixing items she had bought from other shops such as Savers and Morrisons.

After having her belongings searched, security workers at the store are said to have come over to the pensioner where they shared their concerns she was trying to steal three items – Lenor fabric softener, dog chews and an air freshener spray.

Having visited the store on a weekly basis for more than 10 years, often with her trolley in tow which helps her with her mobility issues, Miroslava was shocked and humiliated by the accusations.

Finding evidence of two of the three items – Lenor and dog chews – on receipts from different stores, the attention of the staff turned to the unaccounted-for air freshener spray.

Miroslava was accused of trying to pocket the spray. But the grandmother-of-two stated it had initially been on the till belt before being mixed with her other belongings by the shop worker.

Despite this, the staff stood firm in their belief before CCTV footage revealed Miroslava had been telling the truth all along.

“I was so angry, I was worried I was going to explode...”

Edyta says the shop manager came over, issued an apology for the mix-up and told Miroslava she was free to go – indicating a mistake had been made.

Despite this admission from the staff, the pair have been left unhappy with the way the situation was handled.

Edyta said: “This is the first time something has ever happened to her. It’s not the first time she’s taken a trolley but after years of being a loyal customer, she’s been accused of being a thief.

“I left it at the time because I was so angry – I was worried I was going to explode – but the whole experience was just awful.

“She’d got a few bits in Aldi like her favourite ice cream and she hadn’t even managed to pay for her shopping before they started going through her things.

“Half an hour she stood there, being searched and embarrassed, and at the end of it they admit they make a mistake but all they can do is apologise? It’s not OK.”

Edyta acknowledged a rise in shoplifting cases nationally has led stores to become more proactive in their prevention methods – but feels Aldi’s aren’t appropriate.

When asked what action she would like to see take place, Edyta urged the supermarket to retrain their staff to avoid mistakes like this from happening again.

She said: “They haven’t done it the right way. The whole procedure of them not actually waiting for her to exit the shop and not letting me help when she rang me isn’t right at all.

“I’m hoping it won’t happen to anybody else.

“I’ve officially complained, whether or not something happens with that I don’t know, but something needs to change.”

An Aldi spokesperson said: “From time to time, our stores will conduct checks on customers’ shopping bags with their consent.

“This is a short-term measure stores may use and we are grateful to our customers for their co-operation.

“We apologise to the customer for any inconvenience caused.”

This isn’t the first time Aldi has come under fire for conducting bag searches, with bosses at Sheerness branch apologising in January for the actions of over-zealous staff.

Shoppers said workers accused them of stealing products without any evidence to back up their claims.

Incidents were said to have left some people in tears with others having their shopping bags emptied in front of fellow customers.