A WREXHAM councillor has called for better safety in supermarkets after concerned were raised by staff.

Plaid Cymru councillor Carrie Harper said she had been contacted by local staff who were concerned that social distancing measures are not strict enough in stores.

She said measures were now more important than ever due to the rising number of cases in Wrexham county.

Cllr Harper said: “I’m concerned that poor safety practises in supermarkets may be leading to more people contracting Covid-19.

"There's evidence that supermarkets are the most common places visited before a positive test and local supermarket staff have been in touch with me to raise concerns.

"They’re worried about the number of people entering some premises locally and the lack of social distancing. They are worried about overcrowding at times and tell me they are raising concerns with managers but nothing is changing. They would like to see visits restricted to one person per household as we had in March given the current circumstances.

"We have a hugely concerning situation in Wrexham at the moment, with our rates of Covid per 100,000 population being the second worst in Wales and the percentage of positive tests doubling over the last three weeks.

"I've contacted Wrexham Council's public protection team but supermarkets need clearer guidance from the Welsh Government.

"It needs to reiterate the regulations and we need more spot checks to ensure enough is being done to minimise exposure to Covid.”

In the latest coronavirus update from Wrexham Council, Chief Officer Planning and Regulatory Lawrence Isted said that multi-agency teams are trying to manage the various local occurrences. Also, Public Protection officers are working with North Wales Police to enforce the lockdown regulations, especially in the six "hotspot" sub-areas identified on Monday.

The guidance from the Welsh Government is that face coverings are required in all indoor public places, for both customers and staff, including supermarkets.

Supermarkets have implemented their own measures, such as distancing, limiting the number of customers, hand sanitiser stations, and screens.

Most now offer home deliveries and click and collect.