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A Liverpool supermarket is “secretly“ selling copies of the S*n newspaper to customers “under the counter“.

The Sainsbury’s superstore on Rice Lane, Walton, does not display the newspaper but upon being asked for it staff will discretely take copies out from underneath their convenience counter and sell it to customers.

The store is just two miles away from Anfield and the Hillsborough memorial.

ECHO readers expressed their upset at the practice as the store are profiting from the sales but are presenting the view that they support the campaign to rid Merseyside of the paper.

(Image: PA)

Sainsbury’s confirmed the store sold the S*n - and that it was up to individual customers to choose whether to buy it or not.

The newspaper has been vehemently boycotted throughout Merseyside and beyond ever since it printed repugnant and untruthful allegations about the behaviour of Liverpool supporters during the 1989 disaster in which 96 people were unlawfully killed.

One reader, who did not want to be named, said: “I’ve shopped in Sainsbury’s Rice Lane for years and always been proud to see that The S*n was not on sale there.

“I was recently told that Sainsbury’s do sell it but under the counter.

“For me, it’s not so much that they sell it – it is after all a free country and they aren’t doing wrong as such – it’s the duplicity of pretending not to, then blatently selling it anyway in an underhand manner that angers me.”

Another reader claims that they witnessed a woman with a full trolley load of shopping ask for the S*n newspaper and when they brought her a copy she said: “Right that’s that then I’m never shopping here again - you can keep your shopping,” before walking out.

In order to prove the claims an ECHO reporter went into the store and asked for a copy of the newspaper.

A staff member took a copy out from under the counter and handed it over.

A spokesperson for Total Eclipse of the S*n campaign said: “It’s unfortunate that this is happening and people will be upset about it, especially because so many big supermarket chains have comitted to the boycott.

“I would urge shoppers to continue to use stores they are confident aren’t making money from the sale of the newspaper.”

A spokesperson for Sainsbury’s said: “We fully appreciate the strength of feeling and emotion felt on this issue.

“We entirely respect the rights of customers who choose not to buy The Sun based on their principles and beliefs.

“However, we must equally respect the choices of those customers who do wish to buy the newspaper.”