Morrisons has dismissed criticism fired at it by a former director who worked at the Bradford supermarket chain for 22 years.

Former group property director Roger Owen had raised concerns about the company’s future, describing it to a newspaper as “super tanker heading towards an iceberg.”

He said he spoke out after becoming concerned about the company’s downward slide in sales, profit, market share and stock market value.

But a spokesman for the chain implied Mr Owen was out of touch and said his comments were “unhelpful and unwelcome”.

He said: “Judging modern retailing through the lens of the past is never very enlightening.

“These are unhelpful and unwelcome comments reflecting a different era in retailing.

“He might be better served taking more of a thoughtful view of his role as a director of a board that left Morrisons, uniquely among the big grocers, with no online and no convenience offer – thankfully we are now correcting that.”