THE bad weather is holding up the progress of the new Lidl store being built on the outskirts of Wellington.

The store is due to open by early March but a sea of mud has made it almost impossible to continue work on the new building.

A source on the site told the WWN: “We’re struggling because of the weather which is not expected to get any better in the next fortnight.

“It is going to take a few good stints if we are going to finish it on time.”

A spokesperson for Lidl said on Friday that there were no delays to the building project and the store was on track for its scheduled completion date.

The spokesperson said: "We can confirm our new store in Wellington remains on track to open this Spring. We look forward to bringing our affordable, quality produce to residents and will keep the local community updated on progress."

The German supermarket giant was given the go-ahead to build the new store at the corner of Nynehead Road and the B3187 Taunton Road, not far from the Longforth Farm housing development, in January of last year.

Somerset West and Taunton Council’s planning committee was originally set to vote on the plans in May, 2021, but the decision was deferred for ’unspecified reasons.’

More than 500 letters of support were sent to the council regarding the application, compared to 26 objections and 23 letters which raised concerns. Planning approval was eventually agreed after more than two hours’ debate, by nine votes to none, with two abstentions.

A Lidl spokesperson said at the time: “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.