A YATE supermarket has announced plans to extend its opening hours until midnight six days a week.

The Morrisons store will now open from 6am until midnight Monday to Saturday in response, the company said, to demand from Yate customers.

The supermarket on Station Road previously opened from 7am to 10pm Monday to Saturday and 10am to 4pm on Sundays.

The chain, which has this year begun taking home deliveries from online orders in some eastern parts of the country, will move more in line with its biggest rival in Yate, Tesco, which has two Express stores open late and its main Extra store which opens 24 hours a day Monday to Saturday.

Store general manager Matt Williams said the move gave people who work flexible hours greater options.

“We know that many of our customers in Yate work shifts, flexitime and have busy family schedules,” he said.

“We want to be open for our customers when they need us. An extension to our opening hours will mean that people can pop in for freshly prepared foods for any meal or snack.”

Morrisons said the extended hours was part of a significant investment programme to make shopping trips easier for customers. Other improvements include the redesign of stores, the refurbishment of baby change and toilets, the updating of car park controls and the removal of trolley locks.

Previously, residents of Home Orchard which the Morrisons store neighbours have complained over extended delivery hours to the supermarket.

Town councillor Chris Willmore said the later opening hours would not be expected to cause a significant problem.

“The deliveries are the problem because they go the closest to the houses,” she said. “But we will wait and see what residents say.”

She added: “I am not convinced that there is an enormous demand locally for midnight opening but they don’t have to show there is demand in order to do it. If they think it is worth doing economically they will.”