FOR many thrifty coffee lovers, one of life's small pleasures was being able to pick up a free brew at Waitrose.

The offer of free tea or coffee was available to My Waitrose loyalty card members.

But many have woken up this morning to the news the offer is no more.

In a statement sent to customers, a spokesman added: "Our myWaitrose free tea and coffee offer is one of the ways we thank our customers for shopping with us - and we want all our customers to be able to enjoy a free hot drink when they shop with us in our branches.

"From 3 April, we'll simply be asking myWaitrose members to make a purchase before collecting their cup at the checkout. 

"We would like to thank you in advance for your understanding."

Coffee lovers have taken to Twitter to have their say on the news.

One user said they were 'heartbroken' by the news while others joked they were glad Waitrose was removing the 'coffee freeloaders'.