Supermarket Accident Claims — Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda & More
Supermarkets are some of the busiest places in the UK — and some of the most common settings for accidents. Spilled liquids, dropped produce, trolley collisions, fallen stock and uneven floors cause thousands of injuries every year. When a supermarket fails to keep its premises reasonably safe and a customer is hurt as a result, the law allows a compensation claim under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957.
In this guide
- Common Supermarket Accidents
- The Legal Test — Occupiers’ Liability
- The Key Question — How Long Was the Hazard There?
- What Compensation Could You Receive?
- What to Do After a Supermarket Accident
- Time Limits
- Evidence That Strengthens a Supermarket Accident Claim
- No Win No Fee Supermarket Accident Claims
- Common Questions About Supermarket Accident Claims
- Related Guides
- Our Partner's Fees Explained
- Check If You Could Claim Compensation For Your Injury
This guide explains who is liable, what evidence makes a claim succeed, what compensation typically covers, and how to start a claim on a no win no fee basis. It applies equally to claims against Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons, Aldi, Lidl, Waitrose, M&S, the Co-op, and other supermarket chains.
Common Supermarket Accidents
The most common patterns in UK supermarket accident claims:
- Slips on wet floors — spilled liquids, leaking refrigerators, recent mopping without warning signs, water tracked in from outside on rainy days
- Slips on food — dropped produce, broken bottles, smashed eggs, leaking packaging
- Trips on uneven flooring — damaged tiles, lifted matting, transitions between floor types
- Stock falling from shelves — poorly stacked goods, overloaded top shelves, items knocked off during restocking
- Trolley collisions — particularly with elderly shoppers or children
- Cuts from broken glass — from dropped products or insufficient clean-up after a breakage
- Injuries from defective trolleys — broken wheels, sharp edges, or trolleys with handles that collapse
- Car park accidents — falls on potholes, ice, or oil patches, and low-speed vehicle incidents (see our car park accident claims guide)
- Automatic door accidents — doors that close on shoppers or fail to open properly
- Burns from hot food counters — particularly in stores with hot food, bakery, or deli sections
The Legal Test — Occupiers’ Liability
A supermarket’s legal duty to customers comes from the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957. The Act requires occupiers to take “such care as in all the circumstances of the case is reasonable to see that the visitor will be reasonably safe in using the premises for the purposes for which he is invited or permitted by the occupier to be there”.
A successful claim must show three things:
- The supermarket was the occupier of the premises (always true for the trading store)
- The supermarket breached its duty of care — by failing to identify or address a hazard a reasonable occupier would have
- That breach caused your injury, and you have suffered loss (physical, psychological, or financial) as a result
See our proving liability guide for the wider legal framework.
The Key Question — How Long Was the Hazard There?
In almost every supermarket slip case, the central question is: how long was the hazard there before the accident? Supermarkets are not strictly liable for spills — they are only liable if they failed to deal with hazards within a reasonable timeframe. Strong claims usually show that:
- The spill or hazard had been there for a sufficient time that a reasonable cleaning regime should have caught it
- There was no cleaning or inspection record for the relevant period
- The supermarket’s own published cleaning schedule (often 30-minute or hourly visual inspections) was not followed
- The hazard was in plain sight and should have been seen by passing staff
- CCTV shows the hazard existed for an unreasonable time before the accident
- The supermarket failed to use warning signs even after the hazard was known
CCTV is the single most powerful piece of evidence in supermarket slip cases. Most major supermarkets retain CCTV for 30 to 90 days and can be required to disclose it once a claim is intimated. Acting quickly is essential — see “What to do after a supermarket accident” below.
What Compensation Could You Receive?
Supermarket accident compensation typically covers two strands — general damages for the injury and special damages for the financial impact. Typical ranges:
- Minor soft-tissue injury with full recovery in weeks — typically £1,500 to £6,000
- Moderate back, neck, or shoulder injury with several months of symptoms — typically £8,000 to £25,000
- Severe back, neck or shoulder injury with permanent symptoms — typically £30,000 to £100,000+
- Broken wrist or ankle (common in slip cases) — typically £6,500 to £40,000 depending on severity and recovery
- Hip fracture (common in elderly claimants) — typically £25,000 to £85,000
- Head injury or concussion — typically £2,000 (minor) to £150,000+ (severe)
- Scarring (e.g. from a fall onto a sharp surface) — typically £2,500 to £15,000+
- Fatal accident — bereavement award plus loss of dependency under the Fatal Accidents Act 1976
Special damages cover lost earnings, prescription costs, travel to medical appointments, physiotherapy, private treatment, and any care needed during recovery. For elderly claimants whose injury leads to loss of independence (a common pattern after a hip fracture), care costs can be very substantial. For body-area-specific compensation amounts see our back injury, wrist injury, ankle injury, and head injury guides.
What to Do After a Supermarket Accident
If you have just had an accident in a supermarket:
- Get medical attention — go to A&E or your GP. Symptoms can be masked by adrenaline
- Tell the store manager and ensure an accident report is created. Ask for a copy or a reference number
- Take photographs of the hazard, the area, and any visible injuries before anything is cleaned up
- Identify any witnesses — fellow shoppers and staff — and ask for their names
- Note exactly where the accident happened (aisle, near which department) and the time — CCTV will be looked up from this
- Keep any items relevant to the accident — torn clothing, the receipt showing you were in store, broken or defective items
- Do not sign anything from the supermarket beyond confirming the accident report
- Contact a specialist personal injury solicitor as soon as possible — CCTV may only be kept for 30 days
For a fuller checklist see our what to do after slipping in a supermarket guide.
Time Limits
You have three years from the date of the accident to start a claim. For children, the three-year clock does not start until their 18th birthday. For someone who lacks mental capacity, time may be paused indefinitely. While the legal time limit is three years, practical reasons (CCTV retention, witness recollection, cleaning record retention) mean acting within the first few months strengthens the case substantially. See our time limits guide for the full rules.
Evidence That Strengthens a Supermarket Accident Claim
A solicitor will obtain the evidence for you. Strong claims usually include:
- The supermarket’s accident report
- CCTV footage from before, during, and after the accident
- Cleaning and inspection records (the supermarket’s own logs showing when the area was last checked)
- Photographs of the hazard and surrounding area
- Witness statements from fellow shoppers or staff
- Receipts confirming you were in the store
- Medical records and specialist reports
- A diary of how the injury has affected daily life, work and family
- Records of any care provided by family members
- Wage slips and other proof of lost earnings
Our evidence guide explains the wider picture. The supermarket’s cleaning record is often the decisive document — its absence usually means the claim succeeds.
No Win No Fee Supermarket Accident Claims
Supermarket accident claims run on a no win no fee Conditional Fee Agreement. You pay nothing upfront, nothing during the case, and nothing if the claim fails, provided you keep to the terms of your agreement. If the claim succeeds, the success fee — capped by LASPO 2012 at 25 per cent of general damages and past losses (future losses excluded) — is deducted from your compensation. After-the-Event insurance protects you from the other side’s costs if the case is lost. The ATE premium is normally payable only if you win, deducted from your compensation — it is no longer recoverable from the defendant — and your solicitor must explain how the premium and disbursements are treated before you sign (see how ATE insurance works). See our how no win no fee works guide.
Common Questions About Supermarket Accident Claims
The supermarket says they cleaned the spill ten minutes earlier. Does that defeat my claim?
Not automatically. The questions are: was that timeline true (CCTV will show), was 10 minutes reasonable for that hazard in that part of the store, and was the spill they cleaned the one that caused your fall? Many supermarkets initially claim they cleaned recently and then cannot produce supporting records. Even when the timeline is true, the legal question is whether the cleaning regime as a whole was adequate.
I slipped on a grape but I am not sure how long it was there. Can I still claim?
Yes. You do not need to prove the hazard had been there for hours. The case is built using CCTV, the supermarket’s cleaning logs, witness evidence, and inferences from the location (a grape near the fresh produce section in a busy store has usually been there for some time before it is reported). Specialist solicitors deal with this evidential question routinely.
I fell in the car park. Is the supermarket responsible?
It depends who owns and maintains the car park. Most supermarket car parks are owned by the supermarket and maintained by them or a contractor — making the supermarket the occupier under the Occupiers’ Liability Act. Some retail-park car parks are owned by the property landlord, and the claim is against them instead. A solicitor will identify the right defendant. See our car park accident claims guide.
My elderly mother broke her hip in Tesco. Is this worth pursuing?
Almost certainly yes. Hip fractures in elderly claimants typically attract substantial compensation — generally £25,000 to £85,000 in general damages alone — plus significant special damages for care costs, mobility aids, and lost independence. Older claimants are also at higher risk of complications, including loss of independence permanently. These cases settle well and the legal pathway is straightforward.
A supermarket sent me an offer already. Should I accept it?
Be careful. Early offers — particularly before you have had specialist medical assessment — are almost always too low. Once you accept, you cannot go back even if the injury turns out to be more serious. Speak to a solicitor before agreeing anything. See our should I accept the first compensation offer? guide.
How long does a supermarket accident claim take?
Straightforward cases that settle without court can take 6 to 12 months. Cases involving more serious injury or disputed liability can take 12 to 24 months. The Civil Liability Act 2018 changes (small claims up to £5,000 for general damages on most low-value cases) mean some lower-value claims now go through the Official Injury Claim portal — see our OIC portal guide for related context. Most supermarket cases stay outside that portal because they are not RTA claims.
Related Guides
Slip, Trip & Fall Compensation Claims UK
Wet Floor Slip Compensation Claims
Compensation for Elderly Fall Accidents
What to Do After Slipping in a Supermarket
Should I Accept the First Compensation Offer?
Check If You Could Claim Compensation For Your Injury
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