LIDL has clarified its policy on bulk buying after a Bournemouth customer said he was told he could no longer buy more than six bottles of cola in one visit to the store.

The supermarket chain said while it does not cap purchases at six items in general, a store manager may put one in place if necessary.

It comes after a customer from Bournemouth contacted Lidl on Twitter to query its policy after being told restrictions were in place when trying to buy six items of the same kind.

Posting on Twitter, the man said: “What is the limit on the products you can buy in store? “Was told today that I can no longer purchase more than six bottles of coke in one visit?

"Is this is a new policy & why haven't you got any signage in store. Not environmental (sic) friendly to visit store every two days.”

Read more: Aldi and Lidl: What's in the middle aisles from Thursday July 14

Responding on Twitter, Lidl said: “Thanks for getting in touch, we don't allow bulk buying in store therefore purchases are limit to six of any one item.”

The Daily Echo contacted Lidl HQ for clarification on the rule.

A Lidl spokesperson said: “As a supermarket we are unfortunately not equipped to manage bulk purchases in the same way that a wholesaler is.

“Our store teams order stock on a just-in-time basis which helps to ensure our produce is as fresh as possible whilst limiting waste.

“It also means that we unfortunately don't have surplus stock available to cater for bulk purchases.

“As such, and in line with other supermarkets, we have bulk buying policies in place. This is at the discretion of individual store teams based on the stock they have available at any given time.”

The spokesperson added: “Whilst we don’t cap purchases at six items in general, a store manager may put this in place if they feel it’s necessary to ensure availability of items for all customers.”