Asda is converting more of its superstore petrol forecourts to card-only, unmanned operations with staff being redeployed into its stores.

The supermarket chain has 300 forecourts attached to superstores with half of those already unmanned.

Another 82 are to go cash-free, with 14 already having been converted since December last year, according to the supermarket.

It said all of its workers at the sites would be redeployed by this summer.

Only forecourts adjacent to Asda superstores will be affected, the supermarket chain added.

An Asda spokesperson said the changes were being made as more than nine in 10 payments made at superstore forecourts were made via card or contactless device.

It added: “The colleagues who worked on these sites are moving into the store so they can better serve our customers”.

The supermarket said conversions had begun in December, with the changeover expected to complete “later in 2024”.

There have been calls for the Prime Minister to replicate new legislation in Ireland that will force businesses to accept cash.

Supermarkets, pharmacies and corner shops will have to accept physical cash under rules signed off by politicians in Ireland on Tuesday.

Other types of shops and retailers are exempt, with the rules expected to come into effect later this year.

There are indications that cash use is on the rise, with the British Retail Consortium (BRC) reporting recently that cash purchases had grown in 2022 for the first time in 10 years.

It said shoppers were keeping a close eye on their budgets while prices rise, echoing a report by banks showing a slight rebound.

Cash was used in 19% of transactions in 2022, according to the BRC, up from 15% the previous year.