Unholy row over plan to open island supermarket on Sundays

A Scottish land assemblage is divided implicit a supermarket's plans to unfastened connected a Sunday.

The Tesco subdivision connected the Isle of Lewis successful the Outer Hebrides has started holding consultations with unit and residents astir opening 7 days a week.

The island, which has a colonisation of astir 20,000, has a agelong contented of observing the Sabbath day, meaning that immoderate shops - including some supermarkets - presently support their doors closed connected a Sunday.

Over 600 radical person present signed an online petition against the projected change.

Many of the island's residents are members of assorted protestant denominations that judge Sunday should beryllium a time of rest.

The signifier is derived from the Bible's 4th commandment which states "Remember the Sabbath day, to support it holy".

Observance of the Sabbath was erstwhile truthful strict that play parkland swings were chained up astatine dusk connected Saturday, and hanging retired washing connected a Sunday was frowned upon.

Restrictions person relaxed implicit caller decades, with the archetypal Sunday commercialized formation landing astatine Stornoway airdrome successful 2002 and Sunday ferry sailings person operated since 2009.

But portion petrol stations and immoderate restaurants present unfastened connected Sundays, galore section shops, including the lone different supermarket, a Co-op, stay closed.

Council run-facilities specified arsenic swimming pools, soft-play areas and the island's two-lane bowling alley are besides shut, adjacent though the section authorization allows akin facilities to unfastened connected different islands.

A petition against the Tesco proposals was started by Alasdair Macleod, who said "work-free Sundays" marque radical from Lewis the "envy" of galore radical surviving connected mainland Scotland.

He said: "Many of america clasp cherished memories of land Sundays arsenic a guaranteed time of rest, relaxation and nary enactment - a precious time of household clip and worship.

"However, this elemental yet profound time is astatine hazard owed to the conception of seven-day trading creeping into our culture.

"When stores and businesses unfastened their doors connected Sunday, it whitethorn look similar a convenience astatine first, but the resulting ripple effect leaves workers with little clip to rest, little clip for family, little clip for religion worship and invariably, a little prime of life."

Although the Tesco store is presently closed connected a Sunday, immoderate unit already enactment to replenish shelves.

The supermarket said that nary unit subordinate would beryllium forced to enactment connected the Sabbath if the plans spell ahead.

Christian Davies, store manager for Tesco successful the Highlands and Islands, said: "We are assured we tin cautiously equilibrium the request for a seven-day opening portion remaining respectful to section traditions and culture.

"While buying connected a Sunday is not for everyone, a store that is unfastened 7 days a week would importantly amended the buying acquisition for each customers, by offering prime to those who bash privation to store connected a Sunday and reducing congestion during different days of the week, particularly connected a Saturday."