BRITAIN'S biggest supermarket chain is to tighten safety guidelines following the death of a pensioner, who was struck by an unattended stock cage.

Vera Longfield, 86, was shopping at Tesco's Clitheroe branch when she was knocked over after a young boy bumped into the metal cage with a shopping trolley.

The pensioner, who was a well-known and popular customer at the Duck Street store, suffered a broken hip and died two days later in hospital.

The supermarket giant, which owns 1,300 stores nationwide, today said the tragedy had prompted a safety review which could see all staff warned never to leave stock cages unattended.

Graham Holden, acting deputy manager on the day of the tragedy, told an inquest how he left the 6ft-tall steel cage at the corner of aisle number two, which houses toilet and kitchen rolls.

He said: "I placed the cage, which contained clip strips to be attached to the end of each aisle, next to the kitchen towels. I was then called away to the customer service desk.

"I finished there and didn't enter the aisle again. About 10 minutes later I went for lunch in the staff canteen and while I was there a tannoy message said all managers had to go to aisle two.

"I went with a colleague and when we got to the aisle she said Oh my God, it's Vera' when we saw a woman lying on the ground."

Mrs Longfield, of Brook Street which is a two minute walk from the store sustained a broken hip in the fall, at around 2pm on January 4.

She was taken to Blackburn Royal Infirmary where doctors operated on her hip, but died two days later. A pathologist ruled she died from chronic bronchitis and emphysema, but the broken hip and osteoperosis otherwise known as brittle bone disease may have contributed to her death.

Mr Holden added: "When out on the floor, the cages should be attended by a member of staff. We have designated locations, near the end of the aisles, where we park the cages. It's now been reiterated to staff that cages should not be left unattended and should be taken into the warehouse throughout the day."

When asked by coroner Michael Singleton if he would ensure the cage was put away if called to another part of the store again, he replied yes'.

The inquest, at Clitheroe Town Hall, also included a statement from the grand-mother of the boy, who inadvertently caused the accident. She said: "I remember we were in the store and I stopped to help a woman, who I now know to be Vera Longfield, chose some rubber gloves.

"My grandson was initially sat in the trolley but he got fed up and got out and asked if he could push.

"After a while he set off pushing the trolley on his own. I called out for him to stop. He tried to stop and he wasn't going fast, but it hit a cage at the end of the aisle."

After the hearing, a spokesman for Tesco said: "It was an unusual accident, but a serious one nonetheless.

"It isn't just the Clitheroe store that will be reiterating the need to not leave stock cages unattended. We are looking at introducing this measure across the board at all of our stores."

The coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death.

Eamonn Roberts, senior environmental health officer at Ribble ValleyCouncil, said: "We found Tesco to have been operating within health and safety practice, and therefore will not be pursuing the matter further."