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Call to boycott self-checkouts to protect jobs

Ross Pollard & Alice Smith
BBC News, Somerset
BBC A man wearing glasses, a navy blue coat and a pullover sitting on a yellow and blue patterned sofa.BBC
Ken Jones said the campaign was about defending jobs and keeping human interaction in shopping

A community group is calling on shoppers to avoid self-service checkouts and use staffed tills instead to protect jobs and preserve "human interaction".

Bridgwater Senior Citizens' Forum said it believes automation is replacing workers and damaging customer service.

Forum chairman Ken Jones said the group's campaign is not about older people struggling with technology but about promoting employment and social ties.

"More and more supermarkets are replacing staff with machines, and we must help to reverse the trend," he said.

Mr Jones added: "The knowledge and advice of retail staff is invaluable, but we also value human interaction above machines and artificial intelligence.

"Just saying hello to someone makes you come back, especially in dark days of winter.

"The feelgood factor, you can't put a price on it can you"Bridgwater town centre, showing the pedestrianised high street. Shops shown include RSPCA and Secret World wildlife rescue charity shops. " class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/>

Disruption warning for drivers as works resume

A part of Church Street, in Bridgwater, is expected to remain closed until the end of July.

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Wendy Thompson with white hard hat and yellow hi-vis. She has medium-length straight brown hair. She is standing in a cleared retail room, showing the concrete floor. There are bare walls in the background and the false ceiling has been removed.

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Buildings that used to house two major stores have been cleared and are about to be demolished.

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The exterior of a large department store, with its entrance on a street corner. Its frontage is white, with a gold sign reading "Jarrolds" above the door.

Department store wants to cut hours for 70 staff

The retailer says the traditional 09:00-17:00 working hours no longer make sense.

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