Oldham residents have called to 'boycott' an Asda supermarket after it rolled out a ban on cash payments at its fuel pumps this week.

A notice at the Asda supermarket in Chadderton has informed customers that its petrol station is now "pay at pump only" as of this week.

This means people purchasing fuel can only pay with bank cards - and the staff kiosks have been removed.

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A spokesperson for the supermarket told The Oldham Times that the decision comes as more than 90 per cent of payments at its petrol station are made on a card or contactless device.

However, the image posted to Oldham Neighbourhood Watch has sparked outrage among residents, with many saying they will 'boycott' the petrol station.

One resident, Rachel Kennedy, vowed she would no longer use it, writing: "Once people understand that once cash is gone, you will ultimately be under Government control.

"We've only seen the carnage when shops cannot take card payments when the system goes down.

"Those that laugh at comments who mention 'cash is King', well you need to walk up fast! How will you earn an extra little cash when it's gone?

"No more car boot sales, no selling for cash on Facebook marketplace, no cash in Birthday cards, no saving for that rainy day, I could go on!

"Technology is pushing people out of jobs."

Mike Bloggs, a business owner, agreed, saying he prefers to pay in cash since his business bank account charges 20p per transaction.

Mr Bloggs added: "I won't be going there then. Can only result in them losing business and will change back to taking real money."

Some also worried the move is "another kick in the teeth for pensioners", who don't always carry bank cards, as well as people on tight budgets.

Chloe Williamson and Carol Jackson pointed out that the "big problem" with card-only pumps is that customers need £100 reserved in their account to purchase any amount of fuel.

Ms Jackson, whose card was rejected when buying fuel, said: "You have to have £100 or more on your card, or it won't let you get petrol and rejects your card.

"A lot of people on the breadline will struggle. When you pay at the kiosk, you just pay the cost of the petrol you have used."

Ms Williamson added that it's "not great for those people who are on a budget".

Others also vowed to go to rival supermarkets while Diane Buckley wrote: "I'm past caring - the world has gone mad."

However, some appeared in favour of the change as Chris Brown said it was a "great idea" for being "much fasted and easier".

Max Grifter similarly supported the move for cracking down on fuel theft.

Aimee Beth also said: "I don't know why everyone is bothered, who even carries cash anymore?"

A spokesperson for Asda told The Oldham Times: “We can reassure customers that all Asda stores will continue to accept both cash and card payments as normal.

"The majority of customers who use our drive-thru Superstore fuel stations use pay at the pump and over 90 per cent of all payments are made on a card or contactless device.

"More than half of our drive-thru sites are already unmanned, and we are moving the remaining colleagues who work in the kiosk into the adjacent store so they can better serve customers.”

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