A NURSE has hit out at the “negligence” of a major retailer after she was left hundreds of pounds out of pocket when a tin of newly-bought paint spilled in her car.

Hazel Townsend, of Hurworth-on-Tees, near Darlington, is the latest in a long line of B&Q customers to highlight a problem with Valspar paint opening on car journeys home.

Mrs Townsend, who works as a clinical educator for the NHS, bought a five-litre tin of the paint in a shade of green from the B&Q store at Morton Park, Darlington.

She put the paint in a bag in the boot of her Mercedes C-class saloon and, when she arrived home, it had spilled, ruining the boot-lining and personal possessions.

She immediately drove back to B&Q to complain, but the manager of the paint department told her “you have got a problem” – insisting it was her responsibility once the product had left the store.

“He told me that they always advise customers to transport paint in the footwell of the car but that’s not true – I was given no advice, instruction or warning whatsoever,” said Mrs Townsend.

“Just having the boot-lining replaced cost £300, apart from the personal possessions I had in the boot that have been lost. Surely, tins of paint should be properly sealed – it’s a complete scandal and I want other customers to be aware of what can happen.”

Since the incident, Mrs Townsend has discovered that other B&Q customers have had similar issues with Valspar paint spilling in their cars amid claims that the plastic containers are too flimsy and open too easily.

The issue was highlighted in a report by Guardian Money five years ago, when at least 12 motorists had complained of similar experiences and, in some cases, cars had been written off. Further complaints have been made more recently.

Staff mix the Valspar paint in store to the requested colour and show it to the customer before refitting the lid. However, no clips or tape are used to seal the paint and there is no warning on the container.

A B&Q spokesperson said: “We always advise that paint is transported with care as once a customer has left our store, the goods become their responsibility. On the very rare occasion that a customer experiences a problem we take this seriously, assessing the complaint to understand what happened and whether anything could have been done differently. We offered Mrs Townsend a replacement tin and a refund as a gesture of goodwill.”

However, Mrs Townsend says that’s not good enough. “It takes no account of the significant damage to my car, or the loss of my possessions due to their negligence – they’re just glossing over the truth!”