Tesco has suspended the online delivery service to customers in West Tallaght after a number of incidents involving pellet guns and other forms of abuse have been reported by their delivery drivers.
Due to this anti-social behaviour, a Tesco representative announced they will be ‘curtailing deliveries in a small number of areas in West Tallaght’.
This comes after drivers reported intimidation, robbery and being shot with pellet guns by youths in the Tallaght area, putting them in danger while they do their job.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio One's 'LiveLine' yesterday, a Tesco delivery driver explained that the incident was not a once off, and that there has been five or six incidents of the sort, where drivers have been swarmed by teenagers and 'targeted for stock'.
The bigger concern, explained the driver, is the vulnerable people in the area who use this service to order their groceries and have done nothing wrong. Customers who are unable to make it to their local supermarket to collect their shopping themselves, need this service and it is not just a luxury. Elderly and the sick will suffer the most from this decision, but the safety of staff has to be considered.
Tesco said in a statement;
"At present following several incidents, we are curtailing deliveries in a small number of areas in West Tallaght with an alternative collection option open to customers at Clondalkin and Naas. While we appreciate the inconvenience caused, the safety of our colleagues and customers is of paramount importance.”
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Tesco provides free delivery for over 65s, which is important in a society where the elderly are often overlooked. This act of senseless anti-social behaviour has left many vulnerable people at risk.
Local man Tom Durkin, rang into the show and offered to deliver a local woman's shopping, saying:
“It’s beyond belief that this carry-on is going on,”
It's unsure whether this decision is temporary or permanent.
