Marks & Spencer (M&S) says it has stopped taking online orders as the company struggles to recover from a cyber attack.
M&S customers have been experiencing issues at the checkout as the company continues to deal with the aftermath of a cyber attack.
In a statement released on Friday, it said it is now halting taking orders on both its website and app.
"As part of our proactive management of the incident, we have made the decision to pause taking orders via our UK & Ireland websites and apps and some M&S International operated websites," it said.
"The M&S product range is available to browse online, and our stores remain open and ready to welcome and serve customers."
The supermarket said it is "working extremely hard" to restore its online operations.
The disruption began over the weekend, as shoppers reported difficulties processing payments and delays in receiving their orders.
On Wednesday, the company told BBC that customer-facing systems were running as normal, but it has since confirmed it has had to take “some of our processes offline”.
A statement by M&S read: “We have made the proactive decision to move some of our processes offline to protect our colleagues, partners, suppliers and our business.
“We are incredibly grateful for the understanding and support that our customers, colleagues, partners and suppliers have shown.
“We are working hard to restore our services and minimise disruption and are being supported by industry-leading experts.
“We will continue to update as appropriate as we work to resolve these issues.”
M&S has confirmed it has stopped processing contactless payments and paused the collection of click and collect orders in stores.
But customers have taken to social media to express their frustration at the ongoing issues.
One customer who visited an M&S store to collect an order criticised the retailer for its lack of clear communication.
“You need to do a better job communicating about click and collect. “May be some disruption” does not equal “don’t travel to store, you can’t collect your order”, and then when in store there is no signage of any kind to tell you this. Who will reimburse my travel and parking?” they said.
Another customer responded to the post by adding: “Totally agree, communication is non-existent. Got my email to collect my order, went into store, no one around click and collect area, screens were black, but the scanner was still working. Had to go the checkout at the other side of the store to find staff to ask.”
Another customer added: “I’m furious after receiving an email telling me my order was available for collection today. Second time I’ve headed to the store to be told there’s been a further incident. Happy to prioritise ongoing purchasing over fulfilling existing orders.”
M&S said it had reported the incident to the National Cyber Security Centre which told the BBC it was "working with Marks and Spencer to support their response to a cyber incident".
