MORRISONS Basingstoke is to introduce a quieter hour for customers who would benefit from a calmer shopping trip.

Designed to help customers who struggle with music and other noise associated with supermarket shopping, the hour will take place every Saturday in the Thornycroft Industrial Estate store from 9am to 10am.

During Quieter Hours the store will dim its lights, turn music and radio off, avoid making tannoy announcements, reduce movement of trolleys and baskets, turn checkout beeps and other electrical noises down and place a poster outside the store to tell customers that it is Quieter Hour.

The Quieter Hour initiative has been created with the support of the National Autistic Society

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.”

Ian Daley from Morrisons Basingstoke 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.”