Tesco delivery drivers hit out at company's confusing safety advice after death of pensioner hit by supermarket's van

By JAMES FIELDING, SENIOR REPORTER and EMILY HALL Published: 13:04, 18 July 2026 | Updated: 13:04, 18 July 2026 Tesco delivery drivers have hit out at the company's confusing safety advice following the death of a pensioner who was hit by one of their vans last year. Drivers working for the supermarket company say they have been left confused by a series of new rules issued by management responding to the death of grandmother Susan Margaret Hofsteede in September. The 79-year-old retired welfare rights advisor died following a collision with a reversing Tesco van as she walked along Garth Hill in Bangor, Wales, just minutes from her home. And now, thousands of drivers have been issued updated advice on reversing cameras, which are used in vans to help them see when making deliveries. One staff member said the store had issued new guidance on Monday saying that if the reversing cameras did not work, the van must not go out. However, he said so many vans were then taken off road that the company performed a huge U-turn on that advice the following day, with drivers told those vehicles could go back out on the roads. He said it followed stores being left with huge delivery backlogs because they were unable to get to customers' homes. 'After one day of this new policy it has been changed because the company hadn't realised how many of our operational vans don't have working reverse cameras,' he said.  Drivers working for Tesco say they have been left confused by a series of new rules issued by management. Pictured: File photo  The guidance was written following the death of grandmother Susan Margaret Hofsteede (pictured) in September 'So they've now gone against the policy and will be sending out all vans that were VOR [van off road] due to this issue. 'Many stores have had to cancel deliveries due to large numbers of vans awaiting repair.' He added: 'A lot of us were really happy that they'd finally seen sense and helped us be safer on the roads. Now, it feels like they've gone back on it and it's a kick in the teeth. 'The whole thing is a mess. They rolled it out and then rolled it back almost straight away. 'Everyone is completely confused and this is a safety issue.' Ms Hofsteede's death is due to be the subject of a full inquest later this year. At the opening of her inquest in Caernarfon in October, the court heard 'fiercely loved and loving' granny's provisional cause of death was a traumatic brain injury. The 33-year-old van driver was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and was bailed while enquiries continued. Kate Robertson, senior coroner for North West Wales, adjourned the hearing. The month after the death, Tesco introduced mandatory van maneuvering training for all drivers, with literature given at the time stating: 'Always wait for the reverse camera to display before reversing the van.' The 79-year-old retired welfare rights advisor (pictured) died after a collision with a reversing Tesco van as she walked along Garth Hill in Bangor, Wales, just minutes from her home This was made formal this week when the new policy was brought in which said vans must not be used without a working reversal camera. But email guidance issued on Tuesday said: 'Yesterday a guidance was shared on reversing cameras and white noise reversing alarm defects. 'Following a further review and new information received today this guidance has been revised whilst we await a further update. 'Vehicles that are currently "van off road" solely because of a reversing camera defect or a white noise reversing alarm defect can be returned to service from tomorrow morning.' A Tesco insider said no decisions had been reversed, but the initial guidance asking colleagues to take vans with non-working reversing cameras off the road had generated a 'high rate of false positives' meaning vans that were working were not available to drive. The source added that they had temporarily paused the rollout of the guidance while the reporting process was simplified. In the meantime, new guidance has been issued telling drivers how to safely reverse their vehicles. Remaining vehicles with genuine camera issues will be taken off the road. A Tesco spokesperson said: 'Alongside the clear guidelines and training we have in place to support our colleagues when making home deliveries, we are rolling out new guidance that vehicles with camera issues should be taken out of service until they are repaired. 'We will keep colleagues updated as our plans progress.'