ASDA is opening its larger stores to vulnerable customers only until 9am, the supermarket giant has announced this morning.

It is urging other people to stay away until 9am so the elderly and others who fall into the "vulnerable" category and their carers can shop.

Tesco will prioritise the elderly and vulnerable  on Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 9am and 10am. This will not apply to Express stores.

In an email to customers, Asda stated: "It has become increasingly clear to us that we must help to shield the most vulnerable in our communities from this virus.

"We want to do all we can to support this effort and so have made the decision that on Friday 20th March, from store opening until 9am, we are going to make our larger stores available for those vulnerable people – and those caring for them, to let them shop and get what they need.

"To our other customers, please help us do this by leaving your shopping until later in the day.

"We’re doing everything we can to keep our shelves stocked and our deliveries coming – and our colleagues are doing an amazing job working around the clock to support you."

You can check your nearest store's opening times by clicking here.

Earlier this week 24-hour Asda stores reduced their opening hours to give staff time to replenish shelves.