THE new Lidl supermarket being built on the outskirts of Wellington should be up and running by the second week in February. That’s slightly earlier than previously disclosed.

Work on the new store began in June and the only problem for the contractors has been the high temperatures, particularly this week.

The store, which will be off the Cades Farm roundabout and Nynehead Road, will create about 40 jobs.

It has had a rocky road during the planning stages - as it is part of the bigger picture which includes a new railway station for Wellington, which is due to be built by 2025.

Lidl say their new building is ‘of average size’ for one of their stores and they expect it to be built on time, if not before.

A Spokesperson said: “The new store represents a multi-million pound investment, which will be fantastic for the local area.

“We are extremely grateful for all the support that we have received so far and would like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding while we enter this next phase of the development.

The supermarket will provide competition for Waitrose, Asda and Co-op, the other main stores in the town.

Lidl said it has plans to double its existing portfolio of more than 750 stores nationwide.

The store giant had been eyeing a site in or around Welington for some time before eventually settling for the field near Cades.