Customers have reacted angrily over plans to introduce a 'pay-at-pump only' system at an Asda petrol station.

The station in Mill Way, Sittingbourne, has closed for refurbishment and Asda has confirmed a pay-at-pump only service will be in place when it reopens next month.

Work is currently scheduled to be complete in time for the store to reopen on November 21, but not everyone is looking forward to the date.

Among those customers to criticise the plan are Denise Petro from Sittingbourne, who said the move was "terrible" as not everyone could use the payment machines.

And she also feared it would impact on jobs, adding: "I used to work with the unions for a number of years through Adult Education and we could see this coming years ago.

"It's a way to cutting staff throughout every aspect of the supermarkets plus other organisations. Customer service has virtually gone.

"I worked for British Gas in the showrooms for many years and we had to deal with all aspects of customer service and to many elderly people we were the only contact they had and when they never appeared some weeks we would be generally worried about them.

"Not everyone has a bank account, not even in this age and it's a disgrace that a large company like ASDA are doing this.

"When I go into stores and they tell me you can use the self service I always say no because one day you won't have a job."

Others commenting on social media agreed.

"Saves them paying ££££ a year in staff wages and holidays. Automation and self service is the way everything will go eventually," said one, while another customer added: "Well I will ‘boycott’ Asda petrol station now. Not happy about this."

Not everyone felt so negatively about the scheme though, with another suggesting the move would actually help protect jobs.

They added: "Those that work in the kiosk are normally offered alternative employment so no jobs lost. If it make the store /company more profitable that protects the other couple of hundred people who work there. They usually make the pay at the pump 24/7 so a more competitive price for everyone 24/7 rather than just when pump is manned."

A spokesman for Asda said the company always looked to offer alternative roles to staff impacted, and the same was happening at Asda in Sittingbourne.

They said: “Our Sittingbourne petrol station is closed temporarily whilst we refurbish the site and introduce more pay-at-pumps for drivers to fill up with. We are sorry for the inconvenience whilst this site is closed.”