SAINSBURY'S is "banning" couples from shopping together to help maintain social distancing rules during the coronavirus pandemic.

Staff will be asking customers who turn up in groups to choose one adult from the household to shop, while the others wait outside.

Parents are also urged not to bring their children shopping with them unless they have to, for example if there's no one else to look after them at home.

Aldi has already announced similar measures, capping the number of customers per trolley to one.

Meanwhile, Tesco has also asked shoppers to only send one person per household although it's not actively stopping customers from doing so.

The stores have set up a queueing system to reduce the number of people in stores at any one time, as well as put up perspex screens at most manned checkouts.

The supermarket is also adding another 230,000 extra delivery slots so customers can get their groceries without leaving the house.