Bosses at Wigan supermarket defend safety rules after customers raise concerns

Numerous residents have expressed their worries about going there during the coronavirus crisis, saying they too many people were being allowed into the store, customers were not keeping two metres apart and the arrows laying out a one-way system around the supermarket were being routinely ignored.

However, the supermarket said stringent guidelines had been put in place and urged everyone doing their shopping to follow them.

An Asda spokesperson said: “We have rolled out an extensive number of social distancing measures at our Wigan store to help ensure that our customers and colleagues remain safe.

“We ask that our customers please continue to follow the guidance which is clearly marked in all of our stores.

“We continue to follow Public Health England’s guidelines to protect our customers and colleagues including different social distancing measures such as limiting the amount of people in store at any one time, two-metre markers, barriers at tills and other key points around the store amongst other measures.’’

The supermarket said it would be impossible to fully police the behaviour of every customer in store but pleaded with shoppers to follow the regulations to help slow down the spread of the coronavirus.

Asda’s website urges all customers to keep two metres from both other shoppers and any staff members, avoid close contact, only pick up items they intend to buy and to use card to pay wherever possible.

However, several residents have contacted this website to say they were worried after going to the superstore and suggested the business’ plea for common sense to be used is falling on deaf ears.

Accounts describe shoppers paying no heed to the distancing guidelines, chaotic scenes in the queues to get into the store and security staff sometimes not being visible on the doors to oversee customers entering and leaving.

Others said the store has seemed dangerously busy, although the supermarket has insisted it has a set capacity for operating during the coronavirus crisis and has not exceeded it.

One report described the scene inside the supermarket as “absolute carnage”.