Temporary closures at Boots pharmacies in Long Sutton and Spalding put down to staff Covid-related illnesses

Frustrating closures and queues at two pharmacies have been put down to staff illnesses.

Residents in Long Sutton have regularly voiced their annoyance at lunchtime closures at Boots on Market Place, which have led to lengthy lines of waiting customers.

Access at the Spalding pharmacy on Hall Place has also been temporarily restricted at points.

Questions had been raised regarding the possibility of Long Sutton's branch being permanently closed. However, a Boots spokesperson confirmed this will not be the case.

They said: "Like other businesses, we are seeing high rates of Covid-related team member absence. There has been a very small number of occasions recently where we have had to take the difficult decision to temporarily close our stores at Long Sutton and Spalding, typically for no more than one hour, due to team member shortages or lack of pharmacist availability.

"Our teams are working very hard to keep stores open, minimise disruption for customers and provide the best possible service. We apologise to customers who have been affected and thank them for bearing with us and being kind to our team members at this time."