Sainsbury's is reopening 100 petrol station shops after temporarily closing them due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Since the supermarket giant closed its petrol station stores last month, customers have been paying for petrol via a booth or at the pump.

The decision to reopen some petrol station shops comes as part of a phased plan to eventually reopen all of the supermarket’s forecourt stores.

To safeguard staff and customers, the 100 petrol station shops that reopen will do so with social distancing measures and perspex safety screens in place.

What are the store opening times?

Sainsbury’s is advising customers to check its store locator here for the latest opening hours of all its shops - including its petrol station stores - before they leave home.

Larger branches are currently open from 8am until 10pm. However, as part of new changes going forward, a number of local branches will be extending their opening times to 11pm.

What other changes are being introduced?

The decision to reopen petrol station shops comes as part of a series of new measures, intended to gradually ease restrictions for shoppers.

One of the newly launched measures is a telephone service for vulnerable shoppers, which will let struggling households place grocery orders directly over the phone.

Addressing the new telephone line, Sainsbury’s boss Mike Coupe said, "We now have five times more staff to deal with this.”

Competitors, Asda and Aldi, recently introduced a 'no touch' policy, asking customers to only pick up items they intend to buy or use in store.