Staff and customers of Sainsbury's in Pitsea were today facing the end of an era.

Around 30 members of staff will hang up their uniforms for good tomorrow when the store closes its doors for the last time.

The rest of the 140 staff are taking up positions at nearby stores in Basildon and Rayleigh.

The unavoidable closure has caused much upset among the loyal customers - many of whom are old or disabled.

Bob Jamieson of the Basildon Coalition of Disabled People even sent a letter to Sainsbury's head office begging for a change of decision.

It was decided to close the supermarket after the opening of the huge Tesco Extra in Pitsea proved too much competition.

Bosses at Sainsbury's are hoping to keep to a normal day on Saturday instead of making the closure a major event. The store will close at 6pm.

Paul Dowie, personnel manager, said: "Many of our staff will be sad to leave on Saturday. A lot of them have been with us for a lot of years. It is fair to say our staff all have mixed feelings about the closure.

"Some are excited about the challenge of working in a different store. Others are understandably apprehensive about the move. Those leaving are sad to leave the store behind. Nobody has been forced to leave the company.

"Many of those who have chosen redundancy have been with the company for a long time. We would like to thank all of our staff and customers for their loyalty over the years.

"We are very sad to be closing the store. We look forward to seeing your familiar faces at our other stores in the near future."

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