RESIDENTS have been assured by local councillors that the Asda superstore in Lower Earley is taking safety measures 'very seriously', after residents expressed concerns for Covid-safety measures.

The councillor's announcement comes after a number of concerns were raised that shoppers in the store were not social distancing or wearing masks.

Since then, Earley councillors have inspected the site and have been shown how staff are ensuring resident's safety, including by providing face masks and hand sanitiser in entrances and exits.

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Earley Town Councillor Clive Jones said: "After seeing the residents posts on Saturday afternoon from residents genuinely concerned about social distancing at ASDA and the number of shoppers who were allowed into the store, my colleague Andrew Mickleburgh and I visited the store and spoke with the duty manager.

"We advised him that we would be speaking to Wokingham Borough Council and with ASDA Head Office to express the concerns of residents.

"I am pleased to say that ASDA have taken the concerns of residents very seriously.

"ASDA staff were offering facemasks to shoppers who had forgotten to bring one with them and encouraged them to wear them.

"They have also ensured that capacity limits were respected which at one time led to queues for a short period of time. We are very pleased that ASDA have taken on board WBC's advice.

"I also spoke with a manager in the public relations department at ASDA's head office who assured me that residents concerns would be taken seriously and that they would ensure that government guidelines were respected.

"ASDA has taken our concerns very seriously and I have advised them that we will be following this up in the coming weeks.

"With the huge Christmas shopping weeks coming up we all need to be sure that we can shop safely even if it does mean we have to wait a while to be admitted to the store."

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A spokesman for Asda said: ’We are pleased that Councillor Jones and representatives from the WBC were all satisfied with the measures that we currently have in place at our Lower Earley store.

"We have extensive measures in place across all our stores such as Covid-marshals, protective screens, social distancing signage and numerous hand sanitiser stations.

"Our customers can rest assured that we continue to follow all government guidance as we have since the start of the coronavirus pandemic."