Ammon News - A woman was left mortified after a mouse unexpectedly jumped out her handbag while she was in Aldi, forcing the shop to close while they looked for the rodent.

A woman "died of shame" in Aldi after an unexpected rodent in her handbag forced the store to close.

The mouse sparked panic after jumping out of her bag and escaping after the customer opened her bag at the tills.

The budget supermarket in the village of Lake, near Sandown, Isle of Wight was forced to close while staff searched for the mouse.

The mouse had been caught by the woman's cat before she left the house and had darted into her bag to hide or had been dumped in there by her moggie.

The red-faced woman - who didn't want to be named - wrote about the incident on social media, after shoppers noticed the store was closed.

She wrote: "Thanks to the cat, I've just died of shame in Aldi. Last night she caught a mouse.

"Wind onto the part that I get my purse to pay for the shopping. I undo the zip to take my purse out and a mouse jumps out and onto the floor.

"I then apologise profusely whilst the checkout man chases it down the aisle."

Shopper Stephanie Cooper witnessed the moment while buying cat food and water.

The 39-year-old of Apse Heath said: "I was in Aldi doing shopping, one of the workers was on her hands and knees with the torch on her phone.

"They were obviously looking for something, I heard her say through the earpiece they wear, that she can't find it.

"As I got to the checkout it was announced they had to close the store due to a health and safety matter."

A third shopper added: "The poor lady opened her bag to pay not knowing her cat had left her a furry present in there;

"The mouse jumped out and ran down the aisle. Poor lady was mortified."

An Aldi spokesman declined to comment but said the store has reopened.

*MIRROR