An off-licence that handed out free toilet rolls to NHS workers has shut in order to protect customers during the coronavirus pandemic, its owner said.

Atul Patel, 39, has owned The Liquor Store in Lawn for the past year after moving to Swindon from Cardiff.

In the wake of the coronavirus lockdown he introduced measures to protect customers and his family. Those measures included limiting the number of customers in the shop at any one time to two.

He said taking the decision to shut had been hard. “It’s been busy because obviously everyone’s staying in, pubs are shut and people are avoiding supermarkets.

“It’s been a hard decision but the safety of the customers and my family is important. It’s only going to get worse.

“Having your own business, you don’t want to shut at all and especially during a busy time.

“But you can work for the rest of your life, whereas this virus is life changing.”

Atul said he had handed out around 50 packs of toilet rolls to hard-pressed NHS staff in the last week. “They couldn’t find toilet roll anywhere.”

He stressed that the shop was not shutting for good and would reopen when the coronavirus lockdown ends.  

Off-licences are an essential retailer meaning they can stay open during the lockdown.