A High Wycombe supermarket will introduce a ‘quieter hour’ for shoppers who struggle with music and noise.

Morrisons in Parker Knoll Way will offer a calmer environment for shoppers from 9am to 10am every Saturday.

The quieter hour initiative has been created with the support of the National Autistic Society as many people who are autistic or those with autistic children can find shopping in a supermarket an anxious experience.

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

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.”

David Waghorne at Morrisons High Wycombe added: “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.”