Welshpool Tesco opens doors

Shoppers poured through the doors at Tesco in Welshpool today as the store officially opened, creating almost 200 jobs.

The town's long-awaited 24-hour store opened at 8am today.

An official launch - which saw store workers greeting shoppers with champagne and cake - took place at 10am.

And the ribbon cutting ceremony was carried out by Councillor Estelle Bleivas, the mayor of Welshpool.

Manager of the Smithfield Road store, Linda McGill, said: "My staff and I are looking forward to welcoming lots of customers into the new store and we hope that Tesco will become a key part of the local community."

The new superstore, which has created 189 new jobs, offers three hours' free parking and a petrol station.

Councillor Bleivas said it was good news for the town.

"I was very pleased to be part of the official opening and think it's wonderful that so many local jobs have been created. I'm sure the store will do extremely well," she said.

By Anwen Evans