TESCO has announced that their Carlisle city centre store will permanently close this weekend.

The supermarket brand confirmed that its store on Victoria Viaduct will close on Saturday, October 14.

This comes 16 months after the initial decision was made to shut down the Carlisle store in June 2022.

A Tesco spokesperson said: "In June last year, we reached the difficult decision to close our Carlisle Viaduct store.

"While we had planned to keep the store open until we found an alternative site, issues with the building mean that this is sadly no longer possible.

"The store will close on Saturday, October 14, and our priority now is to support our colleagues who are affected by this decision."

A Tesco staff member at the store told the News & Star that the 'issues with the building' related to the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

Tesco also confirmed that are continuing to seek an alternative site in the area for a new store. 

In the wake of the announcement, a number of locals have had their say on the news. 

Pam McCall said: "Just awful news, how do elderly people or people who don’t drive, get any food shopping? Disaster for Carlisle city centre."

Dawn Mary Johnson added: "Feel so sorry for the staff, been a great shop to have in town. Feel for the older generation as well as they were regulars in there."

Rachel Sharp said: "Sorry for the staff and all customers who rely on this store.

"I used to in the 2000s when I lived in Denton Holme and couldn't afford to run a car. I could walk up and buy all groceries there, it was brilliant. Handy for those who travel in on buses too. Real shame."