SUPERMARKET bosses have rejected fears about an outbreak of Covid-19 in one of their stores in Braintree.

Tesco has confirmed a number of staff have tested positive for coronavirus at its shop at Marks Farm.

But it has rejected claims that more than 50 members of staff have been hit by the virus in the past few weeks.

A spokesman said they were unable to confirm the exact number of workers affected but added it was "considerably lower" than has been suggested.

They also stated the vast majority of staff absences were due to the need to self-isolate on a precautionary basis, rather than because they had returned a positive test.

The spokesman added: "The safety of our colleagues, customers and suppliers remains our number one priority and our Braintree Marks Farm store is following all Government guidance and working with local public health authorities.

"As with all our stores, we have extensive measures to help keep everyone safe, including a traffic light system at the front of store, protective screens at every checkout, social distancing signage and regular deep cleans.”

Tesco says it's shop at Marks Farm is subject to strict cleaning procedures, including regular sanitising of checkouts, trolleys and other potential "touchpoints".