Leading supermarkets are facing new challenges after a Muslim worker asked for Christmas Day off.

Traditionally, only Christians and everyone else is permitted a day off on Christmas. Muslims meanwhile come to work to re-stock the shelves.

The worker from a store in Yorkshire said he wanted a day off to spend time with his family who he hadn’t seen for months.

The request could cause huge disruptions to some retailers plans to off load their unsold stock on Boxing Day.

The store worker who did not wish to be named said, "There are quite a few of us Muslim workers who go out of our way to work on Christmas day to give our colleagues a day off.

"But we wanted to spend a day off this year like everyone else. We haven't been told if we can have it at the moment."

A leading retail expert said, "This could prove really challenging for many big retailers over the Christmas period and could set a precedent across other retails sectors."