Sainsbury's has announced it will be cracking down on people who fail to wear a face mask when shopping, including stores in north Herts.

Customers at Hitchin Sainsbury's near to Bancroft in the town centre will soon see changes when shopping at the supermarket.

This comes following an earlier announcement from shopping-giant Morrisons who said they would disallow anyone without a mask into their stores, including their site in Letchworth.

The government has indicated it will be calling for stronger enforcement of lockdown rules from the police as cases continue to grow across Hitchin, north Herts and across the UK.

How will Sainsbury's enforce mask rules?

Sainsbury's chief executive, Simon Roberts, has said specially trained security guards will be stationed at shop entrances.

Security will challenge any customers not wearing a mask or shopping in large groups, and disallow people into the store without a reasonable excuse.

There will also be a limited number of people allowed in their supermarkets at one time.

advertisement

Mr Roberts said: "The vast majority of customers are shopping safely, but I have also seen some customers trying to shop without a mask and shopping in larger family groups.

"Please help us to keep all our colleagues and customers safe by always wearing a mask and by shopping alone."

Will the police get involved if necessary?

It has been made clear by Morrisons that they will call the police against members of the public refusing to follow the rules in their stores.

Despite this, however, many law enforcement sources have said that the police will not be enforcing supermarket social distancing.

Sainsbury's has not yet confirmed whether it will call the police against offenders.