Busy supermarket on edge of Northampton under investigation after 'making family's lives a misery for months'

A family in Overstone is unhappy with overnight deliveries allegedly being made out of hours at the nearby Aldi supermarket, just off the A43.

According to council planning documents, deliveries are only permitted between 6am and 11pm Monday to Saturday and 8am to 6pm on Sundays and Bank Holidays.

However one mother says this is not being adhered to, and she is not happy with West Northants Council’s investigation so far.

The 41-year-old mother told the Chronicle & Echo: “It’s been ongoing for the last six months and the council’s investigation doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. There were four deliveries between midnight and 4am. My son has been up since after one. He’s severely autistic and once he’s awake, he’s awake. He’s has awful days at school because of it. The lorries turn up with these massive refrigerated trucks – they’ve got reversing beeps and bright lights. It’s deafening – you can hear it and feel it vibrating.”

The mum said she has been logging evidence for months and repeatedly contacting the council. She continued: “I’ve been through four different people at the council. They keep saying they’ve contacted Aldi or sent letters, but nothing changes. Issuing them with a letter doesn’t do anything – it doesn’t work.”

On the emotional impact it’s having on her family, she said: “It’s been awful. We’re sleep deprived. My son’s having bad days at school, he’s emotional, I’m emotional, and my husband’s upset. It’s impacted everything.

“I’m a teacher, so I’m already juggling long hours. Then to come home and deal with this – it’s just relentless.

“I’m not doing this just for me – it’s for the whole road and the nursing home across the street too. It’s not OK for this to keep happening. Something has to be done.”

She added: “I bought this property for £450,000, brand new, 18 months ago. This is not what I expected.”

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) confirmed it is investigating the supermarket and has been since September.

A WNC spokesperson said: “We received a formal complaint in late September about Aldi’s Overstone store possibly breaking rules around delivery hours. Because of serious concerns about noise and anti-social behaviour linked to overnight deliveries, our Environmental Health team is also involved and in contact with the store.

“We’ve sent letters to both the store manager and Aldi’s head office, explaining the complaint and what could happen if the rules aren’t followed. Another site visit is planned this week as part of our ongoing investigation.”

They added: “We’re treating this matter seriously. If we find that the rules have been broken, we will take appropriate enforcement action.”

An Aldi spokesperson said: “We have amended our delivery schedule and apologise for any disruption caused by the oversight.”