TESCO has defended its policy on Bank Holiday working, following a complaint to the Evening News that staff were forced to work on two bank holidays without extra pay.

An employee contacted the paper to say staff in the county were not paid Bank Holiday rates for Tuesday, December 28 and Monday, January 3.

A company spokesman said time off was awarded pro rata, according to how many days an employee normally worked.

"People who normally work Monday to Friday already had Christmas Day and New Year's Day off and received one extra day.

"Those who normally work Saturdays also received one extra day," she said.

"People normally working on a Tuesday would be asked to come in, but these arrangements are made three months in advance, so they had the opportunity to request time off.

"We are very flexible in terms of shift-swapping and when people can take holidays, but we are trying to do the best for our customers as well as our staff."