Midsomer Norton's favourite local shop Columbard Pet Shop, is shortening its hours to allow additional deep cleaning : but says if you are a key worker and this doesn't work for you, they will open up when you need them.

The shop is still open six days a week, Monday to Saturday from 9am, but they will now close at 3pm to allow them time to deep clean, get the click and collect orders ready for the next morning, and then make deliveries to any of the customers who are vulnerable.

Heather from the shop said: " Although we are sanitising our hands, the till, the card machine and the counter between each customer, we do an additional thorough clean through the whole front of shop area once the door is shut for extra protection for customers and staff. "

And then the pledge:

"If this earlier closing time causes any problems for any frontline workers (we class everyone as frontline workers if they are postmen/women, delivery drivers, shop workers, people working in jobs producing essential supplies for all of us as well as carers and all NHS & emergency service staff) we will work round this with them by arranging for them to have their items brought out to their car after we are closed or we will deliver to them.

"One way or another, we won't let anyone be stuck without supplies for their pets or for the wild birds who are desperately in need of still being fed at this time of year with their fledglings soon to appear."

The shop is are running on counter service, or click & collect out to the car, only to ensure all customers and our staff can observe social distancing.

"We know this is knocking our trade back dramatically as customers pick up a lot more items if they can browse, but the health of our customers and staff absolutely has to come first - we're just hoping our bank manager will sympathise with this when we are next on bended knees in his office begging for help."