The hair-raising B&M in Sheffield where static electric shocks are startling shoppers

Dozens of people have shared their experience of getting sudden jolts while shopping in the B&M store at Drakehouse Retail Park, beside Crystal Peaks.

The phenomenon came to light after Carol Allison shared her experience on Facebook, sparking a flurry of responses from others who had also had a shocking time at the shop.

Carol described how she visited the store a couple of weeks ago and got a static electric shock every time she touched something metal.

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At first she thought it was just her, but when she returned a few days ago the same happened to a woman beside her when she touched her trolley.

When Carol asked staff, she was told the frequency of the shocks was connected to the floor surface and there was nothing which could be done.

"I shop there quite regularly but I’d never experienced it before this,” said the 61-year-old chef, from Beighton.

"People need to be aware that they’re going to get shocks because it’s really quite painful and it doesn’t make for a pleasant shopping experience knowing you could get a shock every time you reach for something off a shelf.

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"I go in Sainsbury’s and Aldi, and I’ve never experienced anything like it there. It’s just at this B&M store.”

Carol’s post generated more than 90 comments on Beighton Community Forum, mostly from people saying they had experienced shocks themselves, especially when pushing a trolley.

Some described the jolts as very painful and said they had been put off shopping there, but others told how their children found it hilarious and enjoyed giving each other shocks.

People have even been sharing tips on how to avoid getting shocks, which include wearing a thin pair of rubber gloves, and pushing the trolley by holding the metal further down rather than using the main handle.

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It seems the shocks aren’t limited to that B&M store, with some people saying they get them off the handrails in Meadowhall and used to experience them when shopping at Debenhams in Sheffield city centre.

One person commented that the floor at Crystal Peaks used to cause shocks before they changed the coloured tiles which were responsible.

According to experts at Birmingham University, static electricity is generated whenever two materials are in contact with each other and if the charges which build up are separated faster than the material can dissipate them, the amount of electrostatic charge builds up.

In supermarkets, they say shoppers build up electrostatic charge as they walk around, and the wheels of a trolley can also generate static electricity, resulting in a shock when you touch something.

It says the shocks are made worse by the warm, dry air in many shops, and by the floor coverings which are used.

To avoid getting shocked, they recommend wearing leather-soled shoes or holding a key and touching a metal rack with it to discharge the static electricity painlessly before touching things by hand.

The Star has contacted B&M, which has yet to respond.