A Tesco delivery driver has received thousands of pounds in compensation after contracting a disease believed to have been caused by exposure to rat urine at work.
Darren Finn nearly died after his battle with Weil's disease turned his skin and eyes yellow and almost caused his kidneys to shut down entirely.
When he got ill he was working at a now closed Tesco depot in Harlow, Essex, and doctors think that he contracted the dangerous disease through a cut on his eye whilst being in contact with food waste and used packaging.
He was taken into hospital in November 2012 and treated for jaundice as well as kidney and liver failure. His body was shutting down and the doctors were initially unsure why.
After five days they finally identified his mystery illness as Weil's disease.
Thankfully, Darren pulled through and has now got another job. He also received a five figure settlement before trial from his former employers, Tesco.
The 42-year-old said that he was used to seeing rats in his old workplace and that the company - who employ more than half a million people, did not get in touch with him during his illness until he reached out to his union rep.
He said: "Around four years before this happened we were asked to start picking up food waste and damaged items which were being stored in the warehouse.
"We started handling damaged products which were kept in thin bags that often ripped. As you can imagine, rotting food waste was a hub for rats and our gloves would get soaked in urine.
He continued: "Once your gloves are wet they harbour disease and they would stay that way for a while.
"The same cages which were used to transport food waste were then used to transport fresh products to all the stores without being cleaned."
Of his battle with the disease, Darren said: "After two weeks of battling extreme flu-like symptoms my eyes and skin both turned a violent shade of yellow and I could barely walk.
"By the time I arrived in hospital it felt like every part of my body was bruised and my head was going to explode with the pain.
"If I had waited another day to go to hospital the disease would have spread to my heart and lungs.
"I gave a urine sample to the doctors when I got there and it was the same colour as a glass of Coca Cola.
"That's when I really started to worry and they began asking if I had been on holiday recently or on a fishing trip. Had I been anywhere where I could have come into contact with rat urine?
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"I had never heard of it before and had no idea you could catch it from rats but I knew instantly it had to be from work"
A Tesco spokesperson said: "We take any health and safety issues at our sites very seriously.
"Following Mr Finn's original allegation in December 2012, the Harlow site where he was based was thoroughly inspected by Environmental Health officers who found we had robust pest control routines in place."
Featured Image Credit: StoryTrenderTopics: UK News, Essex, UK, Tesco