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One of Marks & Spencer's biggest suppliers has resorted to using pen and paper for orders as the disruption from the cyber attack on the retailer continues.

The boss of Greencore, which supplies sandwiches, rolls and wraps, says it has also ramped up deliveries by a fifth to make sure there is more than enough food for the bank holiday weekend.

M&S has been unable to offer online orders for clothing and homewares for over a week, and some stores have seen empty shelves as food deliveries have also been disrupted.

Two M&S workers told the BBC they were concerned about pay because they were unable to clock in and out of work and could not access staff apps.

In a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes situation at M&S, Greencore chief executive Dalton Philips said: "In the absence of having all the systems speaking to each other, you revert to how it was 25 years ago."

That means back to "pen and paper", he said.

Greencore has also been putting on additional shifts at its dedicated M&S factory in Northampton, putting more lorries on the road, and is sending more food to stores than they did over Christmas.

"They're a massive customer for us and we're trying to flood them with products to help them," said Mr Philips.

"There are times when you do need to revert to manual systems in any business… but look, it works well.

"With the challenges of the system we don't have intricate forecasting that we would have previously had, so we're just making sure that they've got everything they need and some more."

The cyber attack led to empty shelves in some stores

'Incredibly frustrating'

George, not his real name, works at an M&S in Wales, and said it has been "a nightmare".

"We have been told pay will be given through a separate payment system. However, we have not been told whether the pay will be correct.

"Additionally, there have been back-and-forth instructions, which have changed hourly. For example: remove gift cards from shop floor, put them back (when working)."

One recently retired M&S employee said they had been unable to clock in and out of work as a result of the attack.

"There is no way of receiving advice via managers or the outsourced HR," they told the BBC.

M&S has reassured staff that they will be paid for all contracted hours as usual.

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