If you're planning a weekly supermarket shop, it might help to know when the quietest times to go are.

Aside from the social distancing measures you should adopt when visiting, another way you can also minimise the risk of spreading or catching germs, is to shop at a quieter time.

So, we’ve trawled through Google visiting data for the main supermarkets – Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Aldi and Lidl - in Chelmsford to give a guide for the best times to do your grocery shopping.

And though the data pertains to individual stores in Essex, the shopping patterns are likely to be mirrored across most stores.

Asda Chelmsford

The best time to go to Asda appears to be between 7am and 10am on Monday – Wednesday.

Footfall then drops off at around 6pm on these days.

It then becomes gradually busier on Thursdays and Fridays, with Google saying it is “usually a little busy” from 9am until 6pm.

On Saturday peak shopping time is 11am to 2pm with it slowing down after 3pm.

On Sunday 10am or 3pm are the quietest times to shop.

Tesco Princes Road

The best time to go to Tesco is between 6am and 9am and after 6pm on Monday - Thursday.

Google’s visiting data suggests these times are “usually not too busy”.

However, if you leave your shopping until Friday you can expect it to be busy from 8am until 8pm.

And on Saturdays, the peak time for footfall is between 10am and 6pm, which is “as busy as it gets,” Google says.

On Sunday it is busy from opening until closing.

Tesco Springfield Road

The best time to go to Tesco is between 7am and 11am and after 4pm on Monday to Thursday.

On Friday Google says it is busy between 10am and 5pm. On Saturdays, the shop is "usually busy" from 10am to 7pm with 11am to 4pm the busiest times.

On Sunday it is busy from opening until closing.

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Sainsbury's

The data shows the store is "usually a little busy" from 10am to 6pm each weekday.

On Saturday the best time to shop is between 7am and 10am and after 7pm.

And on Sunday the quietest time is at 10am or 3pm.

Aldi Westway

From Monday to Thursday the store is “usually a little busy” from 10am until 6pm.

Friday is busier with Google saying it is as busy until 8pm.

On Saturday peak shopping times are between 9am and 6pm while on Sunday it is busiest at 11am.

Aldi Parkway

On weekdays Google says the store is 'usually busy' between 10am and 6pm and is busiest at midday.

On Saturday peak shopping time is between 10am and 5pm, when it begins to get quieter.

On Sunday it is busiest at 11am.

Lidl Waterson Vale

On Monday to Thursday, from 10am to 5pm, the store is “usually a little busy”, Google says.

So, the best time to shop on these days appears to be before 10am and after 6pm.

And on Friday it is “usually a little busy” from 9am until 6pm.

On Saturdays, it is usually busy throughout the day, with footfall peaking at 12pm and on Sunday it is busiest at 12pm.