Customers wearing masks in shops came into force today (July 24) and for this favourite Frome bakery it also led one customer to make an unusual request.

Parsons Bakery's manager Sarah Ilott told Nub News that her shop at Badcox, which is one of the busiest in the neighbourhood, was operating as normal. But she did add that some people have been making some more safety requests.

She said: " It has been fine. We have not had any issues, there have been half a dozen people that have come in without masks. But I think most have been because they forgot.

" We cannot enforce the law and we obviously we don't know how people will react. You will obviously get some people that will answer you back and maybe not be so nice. So we are not enforcing anything we are just serving people as normal."

However the bakery, which also serves take-away coffee alongside breads, pastries and cakes - along with sandwiches- told Nub News that today they had a new request.

One customer asked today (July 24) if while making his daily coffee, the manager could not touch the lid of the cup when she made the take away.

" So I asked can I touch your cup," said Sarah " And he said yes but don't touch the lids, so in the end I opened a new packet of lids and asked him to take one himself. It is fine it was just new for me."

She added that many customers had simply forgotten to wear a mask rather than were out to flout the new rules.

" I had two lads come in this morning and they both walked in and when one walked out and went into the Co-op and then he came back and said it wasn't until he went into the Co-op and heard people talking about it, that he remembered that we needed masks on.

" The other lad said ' Oh no - is that today?' So yes people have forgotten and they will need to get used it.

We all now need to get into that routine and wear one when we go into a shop."

Parsons Bakery is a family-run business which was established in the South West in 1926.

They operate over 50 stores over 10 different counties in the UK's South West. We employ some 500 local people and serve over 65'000 weekly customers.

As the company explains on its web site: " We've traded through two World Wars, numerous relocations, several world recessions and major food shortages, won a trillion awards and grown up from making home deliveries by horse & cart in the early 1900's into a modern artisan bakery that just keeps growing. I don't think we could stop it if we tried."