Woman trapped in Subway fridge for 8 hours wrote 'help' message in ketchup

20 year old Karlee Daubeney spent 8 hours in a Subway store chiller Credit: SWNS

A franchise owner of a Gloucester Subway store is due in court after a worker was trapped overnight in the shop's cold room - and tried to escape by writing an SOS message in ketchup.

Karlee Daubeney, 20, was working the late shift alone and shutting down the store when she became trapped - she'd been putting milk away inside the cold store when the door closed behind her and locked her in.

She was only wearing trousers and a thin Subway top - the temperature inside the cold room just a few degrees above zero.

Ms Daubeney tried to get help with an SOS message written in ketchup - hoping it would be spotted on CCTV by security staff.

However, her plan didn't work and she remained trapped in the store in the centre of Gloucester until 7.30am the next morning.

Recreation: Karlee was hoping staff would see her plea for help on CCTV Credit: SWNS

The employee says she came very close to catching hypothermia.

She added: "My muscles became so cold I found it really hard to walk for a few days, I had migraines and dry skin around my nose. When I went to hospital the next day I was told I was close to having hypothermia and I made myself as warm as I could when I got home."

CM Ventures, who have the franchise for the store, have been charged with health and safety offences. They have been accused of not ensuring, so far as reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of its employees.

The company pleaded not guilty at the preliminary hearing.