Tesco confirms plans to open Isle of Lewis supermarket on Sundays

Observance of the Sabbath was once so strict on Lewis that play park swings were chained up at dusk on Saturday, and hanging out washing on a Sunday was frowned upon.

Restrictions have relaxed over recent decades, with the first Sunday commercial flight landing at Stornoway airport in 2002 and Sunday ferry sailings have operated since 2009.

But while petrol stations and some restaurants now open on Sundays, many local shops including the only other supermarket remain closed.

A petition against the Tesco proposals was started by Alasdair Macleod, who said “work-free Sundays” make people from Lewis the “envy” of many people living on mainland Scotland.

He said: “Many of us hold cherished memories of island Sundays as a guaranteed day of rest, relaxation and no work – a precious day of family time and worship.

“When stores and businesses open their doors on Sunday, it may seem like a convenience at first, but the resulting ripple effect leaves workers with less time to rest, less time for family, less time for church worship and invariably, a lower quality of life.”