Excited shoppers queued outside of Lidl on Thursday morning ahead of the much awaited opening of the new supermarket.

Wellington mayor Mark Lithgow carried out ribbon cutting ceremony, before declaring the store officially open. He welcomed the arrival of Lidl to the town, saying: "I’m very pleased for Wellington that we’ve got a Lidl store in town, we deserved to have a brand that’s covering the country so I’m delighted to see it."

A cut-price 65 inch Smart TV saw some shoppers queuing as early as 6.30am to avoid missing out on the £199 gadget. Customers were seen hauling the supersized television to the checkouts by hand and with the aid of pallet trolleys.

Store shelves were packed with fresh produce, including British fruit and veg, and a big selection of bakery treats.

The middle of Lidl, an aisle which has in the past sold everything from bouncy castles to plasma torches, played host to a range of gardening deals. Among the garden-ware offers were an electric lawnmower for £119.99 and a long reach hedge trimmer retailing for £69.99

Nynehead resident Huw Walker was the first Lidl Wellington customer to complete a purchase. He had arrived at the store early to grab a discounted TV for his mother.

He said: "My mum needed a TV and I heard about this deal, so I arrived early this morning to pick one up. I hope it fits in my Skoda, I should have brought my van really.

"I needed some milk as well but I couldn’t carry it."