AN MP has criticised Boots after one of its employees committed suicide.

Labour MP for North Durham, Kevan Jones, accused the company of failing pharmacist Alison Stamps, who worked in the Tindale store, in Bishop Auckland from 2013 until her death in 2015.

Leading a House of Commons debate last week, Mr Jones said Boots had failed "to exercise its duty of care at a national level" after the store manager, who had been trying to help the 33-year-old, reported concerns to her area manager and in turn the central HR department.

Ms Stamps, of Ouston, near Chester-le-Street, was later found dead in a room at Hardwick Hall Hotel, near Sedgefield after her family reported her missing.

Mr Jones said: "No alarm bells rang in Boots’ central HR department that one of its pharmacists was in crisis situation and no action seems to have been taken."

However, Elizabeth Fagan, managing director for Boots UK and ROI, said the firm takes mental health issues “extremely seriously” and is "committed to doing the very best we can to help our colleagues manage mental health issues".

Ms Fagan said: "We were deeply affected by the loss of our colleague Alison Stamps in 2015, and we understand how devastating it was for her family and friends.

"As a major employer in the UK, we know it’s crucial for all businesses to be well prepared in dealing with mental health issues as part of their overall duty of care towards colleagues.

"We take this extremely seriously and we continue to work very hard to have the right support processes in place to help both colleagues and their managers when confronted with these issues.

"We have had a number of company-wide measures and initiatives in place for some years, and more recently have continued adding to them, some of which have been implemented since the tragic loss of Alison.

"These include greater mental health awareness training and the availability of face to face counselling from an independent organisation.

"We fully support any activity within the UK to help open up the discussion around mental health.”