THE Morrisons supermarket chain has apologised to customers in Helensburgh - and to the Advertiser - after wrongly saying that the home delivery service at its store in the town was to close.

The Advertiser contacted Morrisons, through the company's press office, on Tuesday after being told the online home delivery service at the firm's Dumbarton store will close next month.

Staff in Dumbarton will be offered redeployment or the chance to apply for voluntary redundancy.

We asked the firm's press office whether the online home delivery service at the Helensburgh store would also be closing.

A spokesperson for the company said on Tuesday afternoon: "Yes, our Helensburgh store home delivery will close - and our colleagues will be offered redeployment within the same or nearby store or site too."

Our story reporting Morrisons' confirmation attracted comments from several readers questioning the accuracy of the news.

And Morrisons' Helensburgh staff put a post on the store's own Facebook page on Tuesday night saying the online home delivery service was not closing - completely at odds with the statement from the firm's press office.

In response, the Advertiser went back to the Morrisons press office on Wednesday to ask them to check the information given to us on Tuesday.

The same spokesperson said: "My apologies. I am picking up work this week for a colleague who is on holiday and I've misinterpreted information she left me.

"Helensburgh home delivery is to remain open. There is no change at this store."

Around 50 staff at the Dumbarton store are understood to be affected by the closure of its online home delivery service.

The company says all hourly paid staff at its Dumbarton supermarket are also to be offered the chance to apply for voluntary redundancy.