MORECAMBE'S newest supermarket has been closed this week after a wall was blown down by weekend storms.

Lancaster city council building inspectors on Monday ordered the closure of the Aldi store on the resort's Marine Road.

Building of the superstore was only completed last October but the entire gable at its west end collapsed during a gale on Sunday.

The city council says an inspection of other parts of the roof found significant defects' which suggested that other walls could be unsafe and so the store was closed.

The area around the building has been fenced off and Aldi have agreed that the store will stay closed until modifications to strengthen the remaining walls are complete.

No timetable for the work is known all Aldi stores are ex-directory and a spokesperson at the company's regional office in Manchester told the Citizen on Wednesday: "We have a strict no comment policy on matters relating to our stores."

The city council, meanwhile, says it has requested Aldi to submit details of its repair proposals for approval prior to the work going ahead.

The action is necessary to ensure the safety of local people under responsibilities imposed by the Building Act 1984.