The website of high street giant Marks & Spencer is back online several hours after it was hit with “technical issues”.

The store chain said the problem had been caused by a third party service provider experiencing a technical issue.

Visitors to the retailer’s site on Saturday afternoon were greeted with a message which read: “Please bear with us. Sorry you can’t shop with us right now.

“We’re working hard to be back online as soon as possible.”

The M&S app was also unavailable, customers reported.

An M&S spokesperson told the PA news agency: “A third party service provider is experiencing a technical issue which is temporarily affecting access to our website and app.

“We hope to be back up and running soon and are sorry to customers for the inconvenience caused.”

PA understands the problem was not hacking related.

Services were restored at 6pm on Saturday.

Earlier, in a reply on X, formerly Twitter, to a disgruntled web user, the retailer said: “We’re experiencing some technical issues but we are working on it.”

M&S is the latest grocer to face issues with its online services.

Last month, Sainsbury’s shoppers saw online orders fail to arrive after the supermarket giant was hit by a technical hitch.

The chain blamed a “technical issue” for the disruption to its online grocery operation.

The website and app issues come just days before M&S is expected to reveal a jump in annual profits when it reports on a bumper year.

The high street staple has enjoyed buoyant sales across its food halls and clothing and home arm, having undergone a significant turnaround plan in recent years, including cost-cutting and store closures.