A petition demanding that Tesco on the Scottish isle of Lewis remain shut on Sundays has gained over 1,300 signatures. 

The island in the Outer Hebrides is home to around 20,000 people and it is still common in this part of Scotland for shops and businesses to be closed on Sunday.

The petition on Change.org was launched six days ago by islander Alasdair Macleod, who said that if Tesco opens seven days a week in the island's main town of Stornoway, then other shops and businesses are likely to follow. 

"Tesco is and has been a highly valued and respected, local employer and retailer, repeatedly giving generously to local charities and causes and always respecting our local Sunday tradition of rest. We hope this mutual respect of community and retailer will long continue," the petition reads.

"If Tesco Stornoway, one of the largest shops in the Western Isles, opens on a Sunday then other businesses and organisations will be more likely to open on a Sunday too. They will sadly feel pressured too." 

The petition speaks about the value to workers and families of a day of rest on Sundays and says that signing it is "standing for the glory of Christ, our Christian tradition, our community spirit, and our right to be different". 

"Many of us hold cherished memories of island Sundays as a guaranteed day of rest, relaxation and no work - a precious day of family time and worship. However, this simple yet profound day is at risk due to the concept of seven-day trading creeping into our culture," it says.

"When stores and businesses open their doors on Sunday, it may seem like a convenience at first, but the resulting ripple effect leaves workers with less time to rest, less time for family, less time for church worship and invariably, a lower quality of life."

Unlike in England and Wales, there are no restrictions on Sunday trading hours in Scotland and many larger chains, including supermarkerts, are open seven days a week. In 2003, legislation was passed giving Scottish shopworkers the right to refuse to work on Sundays.

The local council in Stornoway has already given permission to Tesco to open its doors on Sunday but the supermarket must consult with staff at the branch. 

The petition continues, "Often we don't realise the value of what we have until it's gone. We are the envy of many people living in mainland Scotland with our peaceful, work-free Sundays so why swap them for their hectic, stressful, work-filled, busy Sundays?

"Every year the Outer Hebrides is voted right at the top of a poll of the happiest places to live in the UK. Is it a coincidence that our islands as a whole, are one of the only places that still has a guaranteed traditional Sunday of rest and no work?"