A KIND stranger came to the aid of an elderly couple who couldn't pay for their Aldi shopping because of a pension mix-up.

Jean and Alan Young had just gotten to the front of a "mile-long" queue at the store in Rochdale when his card was declined.

2 Jean and Alan Young were left stunned when a kind stranger paid for their shopping following a pension mix up Credit: MEN Media

Alan, 71, asked the cashier to keep an eye on his bags while he popped home to see what the problem was.

When he came back and explained his pension wasn't coming in until tomorrow, he was told a generous woman had paid for the £49 shop.

"I just stood there like a gormless idiot and thought she must be joking," he told the Manchester Evening News.

"You read about all this evil going on and this just feels unreal - it’s like floating on air."

2 The generous woman paid for their £49 shop, which included gifts for their grandson, at this Rochdale Aldi Credit: Google

The couple want to thank the stranger who didn't leave her contact details, only telling the cashier to wish Alan a nice day.

Her gesture meant a huge deal after a horrid year for Alan, who was doing his first big shop since getting out of hospital.

He had battled with an E.coli infection for weeks and was diagnosed with tonsillitis earlier in the year.

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Among the items in the shopping were three onesies for his grandson Adam.

"I can't get over it," he went on. "You think you've experienced everything but it was just unbelievable.

"Thank you from the bottom of our hearts."