Tesco has confirmed the source of a mysterious stink that has been revolting shoppers in its Stevenage town centre store.

People said they were put off from their shopping by a putrid pong that filled the air at the Tesco Extra store in The Forum over the weekend.

From Friday onwards sickened shopgoers reported holding their noses walking around the store due to a stench which one woman said “smelt like a dead body”.

She said some shoppers were leaving the store as they couldn’t stand the stink.

The Comet didn’t report on the issue on Friday as we thought the smell might dissipate – but shoppers kept emailing and messaging us on social media.

Twitter user RojaeRichards tweeted asking: “Why does Stevenage Tesco smell like a toilet?”

Another, EyeSea71, tweeted Tesco: “Could you find out, that smell will be caused by particles in the air, those particles will land on food...”

Tesco tweeted in reply: “They let us know they are getting it sorted out but they didn’t go into specifics of what is causing it. The maintenance team is working on it though so hopefully the smell will be gone soon.”

But EyeSea71 wasn’t satisfied with this, replying: “Also do you think it is fair to force your staff to work in those conditions. The store should be closed until it is fixed.”

Determined to trace the source of the smell, the Comet called Tesco – and the chain confirmed this morning that there had been a blockage in underfloor drains at the store, which has now been dealt with.

A Tesco spokeswoman said: “We’re pleased to confirm that an issue with underfloor drainage at our Stevenage Extra store has been fixed.

“We’re sorry for any inconvenience caused to our customers while we completed this work and look forward to welcoming them back to the store.”