'I've been banned from every The Range in the country' - Shopper speaks out about dispute with bargain retailer 

Shopper Derek Hewitt has been banned from every The Range in the UK after complaining about health and safety concerns.

The budget retailer's head office wrote to him, informing him that he wasn't welcome on the premises.

And the letter claimed police would have the authority to enforce legal action if he attempted to access one of the stores or car parks.

Derek, from Bradeley, was made subject to the ban after alleging that the company's Fenton store was breaching health and safety regulations.

He said: "The staff are given 15 minutes at the end of the day to tidy the store. During the 15 minutes, the front door - the store's main fire escape - is locked.

"After witnessing this myself, I decided to confront the store manager about this. He denied it and smirked at me when I questioned him about it. We disagreed with one another about the situation and he told me to 'get off his car park'.

"I have also been informed that fire extinguishers in the store are covered and this does not comply with the law. I have genuine concerns over the safety of the staff and my concerns are just dismissed."

Unhappy with the response, Derek rang the head office to complain.

"I was on the phone with the head office for about 40 minutes. They assured me that they would investigate my concerns" he added. "I didn't hear anything for about two weeks."

He then received information, which implied the store would be investigating him, rather than his complaint.

Derek added: "I rang and put in a data subject access request to find out what information they were holding about me. But I was told I was not entitled to it.

"Then, I was sent a letter through the post which told me I was banned from every The Range in the country - and the car parks."

The letter sent to him states: "Please take this as an official written notice to confirm that The Range / CDS group are withdrawing our invitation to you to to visit any of the outlets with immediate effect.

"Please note that, should you attempt to enter any of our stores or the car park in Stoke-on-Trent, this will constitute criminal trespass and you will be asked to leave immediately. If you refuse then the police will be called to enforce legal action."

Now after contacting officials to discuss the letter, Derek has been told his aggressive behaviour towards a member of staff was the reason behind his ban, which took effect in April.

"He wasn't prepared to discuss it with me and was not prepared to hear my side. I have a thing about human rights and I won't stand down," he said.

Derek has since informed Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service of his health and safety concerns.

Follow StokeonTrentLive

Download our app  - You can download our free app for iPhone and iPad from Apple's App Store , or get the Android version from Google Play . 

Follow StokeonTrentLive on Facebook -   Like our Facebook page to get the latest news in your feed and join in the lively discussions in the comments. Click here to give it a like!

Follow us on Twitter -   For breaking news and the latest stories,  click here to follow SOTLive on Twitter .

Follow us on Instagram - Featuring pictures past and present from across Stoke-on-Trent, North Staffordshire & South Cheshire - and if you tag us in your posts, we could repost your picture on our page! We also put the latest news in our Instagram Stories.  Click here to follow StokeonTrentLive on Instagram .