BOSSES at a coffee shop have hit back at criticism over their laptop policy.

Bean and Gone Espresso Bar on Lidget Hill, Pudsey, has asked people not to work on laptops at the venue at weekends.

On its Facebook page, the company said it had been receiving "nasty" comments and reviews on the back of a post on the social media platform disagreeing with the rule.

But the firm defended its policy, saying it is a "small coffee shop" and gets "really busy on a weekend" and wanted to accommodate as many customers as possible. 

Bean and Gone Espresso Bar's Facebook post said: "We would just like to remind everyone of our laptop policy at the shop.

"We politely ask that people do not work on laptops during the weekend (Saturday and Sunday).

"This does not include weekdays - we encourage laptops on a weekday.

"The shop is quieter and it makes for a lovely working environment.

"We understand that not everyone works Monday to Friday (we also work weekends too!) but unfortunately it is just not something we can accommodate at a weekend.

"We are not doing this to be awkward or difficult - we are doing this to try and run our business in the most effective way for us and our customers.

"Since we first implemented this policy back in November we have found it has made a huge difference to our weekends.

"Thank you so much to everyone who has understood this.

"We are a small coffee shop and get really busy on a weekend and we are so grateful for this.

"We want to be able to accommodate as many people visiting us as possible with the nine tables that we have in our space.

"Unfortunately, a Facebook post disagreeing with our policy has been put up and from this we are receiving bad reviews and nasty Facebook comments from people who have never been in our little shop or experienced what we have to offer.

"Social media is a wonderful tool for businesses and can have a really positive impact on them, but when it is used in a way that people can comment on a situation that they were not part of it can be hugely upsetting but also really damaging for a business.

"Times are hard - we are seeing hospitality business closing down every week and we really don't want to be the next."

The business thanked all its customers for their support.