There are concerns for disabled and elderly people in Macclesfield, with automatic doors at a Macclesfield store not working.

Marks and Spencer - of 33 Mill Street - had the automatic doors to the right of their store stop working earlier this year.

And it is unclear with the store's impending closure, whether the automatic doors will be fixed for shoppers to access the clothing and food store.

"I appreciate that as you're leaving our town, fixing things isn't top of the list, but the automatic doors being broken for months now impacts the accessibility for your customers," said Customer and Macclesfield resident Leigh Jennings

The manually-operated doors to the store are quite heavy, and not wheelchair friendly. (Image - Alexander Greensmith / Macclesfield Nub News)

"We struggle with the pushchair and I've helped many elderly or wheelchair users [as a result].

"Unfortunately they're heavy doors and I have mobility issues myself."

The store is set to shut down once a new food-only M&S store opens at Macclesfield's Barracks Mill in Winter 2022-23.

Macclesfield Disability Information Bureau - of Pierce Street - made suggestions that the retailer should do to alleviate the problem in the meantime.

A new M&S Foodhall is to open in a new £13m retail park on the former Barracks Mill site, near the Silk Road in Macclesfield. The future of the Mill Street Marks and Spencer building (pictured) remains unknown. (Image - Alexander Greensmith / Macclesfield Nub News)

"I saw that the front doors were not accessible, but they do have a back entrance that is accessible," a spokeswoman said.

"Maybe they need to put a sign up to inform people with disabilities to use the rear entrance.

"However; in order to maximise opportunities for disabled people, getting the doors repaired in a timely manner will ensure that everyone using the store will have the same opportunities to shop in store without having to go the rear entrance."

This affects the Mill Street entrance to the doors. The entrance on Exchange Close remains unaffected. (Image - Alexander Greensmith / Macclesfield Nub News)

An M&S spokesperson told Macclesfield Nub News the following.

"We are sorry for the delay to the repair of one of our sets of automatic doors at M&S Macclesfield," they said.

"This was unfortunately due to a delay in our supplier being able to source a component to repair the doors, but we're pleased to confirm this has now been received and we expect the doors to be fixed and working as normal in the coming days."

See Also: Marks and Spencer Macclesfield Closure: Mill Street building to become 'mixed use'

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