Supermarket fridges and freezers battle the heat

A supermarket boss says the company is working on plans to help stores cope in the heat after a "small number" of its fridges and freezers experienced issues this summer.

The Channel Islands' Coop put the issues down to the "exceptionally hot weather," with chief executive Mark Cox noting the challenges "haven't been unique" to the company.

Speaking on BBC Radio Jersey, Cox said that about 10 of its frozen food and refrigeration units in stores across Jersey and Guernsey had broken down in the heat in recent weeks.

He said whenever issues had arisen, "our priority has been to act quickly to protect food safety and minimise disruption" and said all issues had now been resolved.

The Coop has 44 stores across Jersey and Guernsey, which have both experienced their warmest Julys since their records began.

Cox said: "Certainly through our infrastructure, with refrigeration and frozen food, that heat has meant that equipment has been working really hard over that period."

He added: "I think we've probably had across our store estate 10 units out of action, whether that be frozen food case or a refrigeration case - as we stand today we don't have any issues."

He said product loss had been "very small" as a result of the break downs, with staff working quickly to avoid food waste.

Cox said he expected to see "an improving situation" as temperatures began to cool in the coming weeks.

Cox said the Coop is developing plans to ensure its infrastructure could cope with future rising temperatures.

He added: "We are always looking at how we can make these improvements but the stark reality that we face this year places more urgency on that level of investment."

Follow BBC Jersey on X and Facebook. Send your story ideas to channel.islands@bbc.co.uk.