A QUIETER hour will be introduced for supermarket customers.

The food shop giant, Morrisons, have announced a 'Quieter hour' for customers across their stores nationwide.

It is designed to help customers who currently struggle with music and the other noise associated with supermarket shopping.

During quieter hours the store will dim the lights, turn music and radio off, avoid making tannoy announcements, turn checkout beeps down and reduce movement of trolleys and baskets.

The 'Quieter Hour' initiative has been created with the support of the National Autistic Society. The society has said that many people who are autistic or those with autistic children can find shopping in a supermarket an anxious experience.

Following this Morrisons carried out a trial earlier in the year in three of its stores to find out what improvements can be made and to find a convenient time each week for the ‘Quieter Hour’ to take place.

It will take place every Saturday from 9-10am in their stores on Railway Road, Blackburn, on Queen Street, Great Harwood, on Pendle Street, Nelson and on Henrietta Street, Bacup.

Daniel Cadey, from the National Autistic Society, said: “Around 700,000 people are on the autism spectrum in the UK.

"This means they see, hear and feel the world differently to other people, often in a more intense way. Morrisons ‘Quieter Hour’ is a step in the right direction for autistic people who find supermarket shopping a real struggle.”

Simon Hulley, at Morrisons Blackburn, said: “Our initial trials showed there is a need for a quieter shopping experience. We hope that these changes make a real difference for some of our customers at our store.”