Most Coles supermarkets have been forced to close due to an IT failure.

Mona Vale, Fairfield, Penrith and Sylvania are among the stores in NSW which have closed and turned away customers.

One Drive listener told Jim Wilson staff at Ramsgate Coles took photos of product barcodes and let customers leave without paying for their groceries.

Another Drive listener reported Coles are losing $60,000 a minute in sales.

His son, who works at one of the locations, says Coles are hoping to restore the system soon.

A Coles spokesperson said Coles Express and Coles Liquor locations are unaffected (full statement below).

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Full statement from Coles:

“Coles supermarkets are being closed temporarily due to a technical issue with processing payments in our stores.

“Our team is working hard to fix the issue and stores will reopen as soon as possible.

“We apologise to our customers for the inconvenience.

“Coles Express and Coles Liquor stores remain open for trade.”