THE Mayor of Ruthin has welcomed the town's new Aldi store, saying it will 'reduce the need' for residents to have to travel out of town.

Prior to the new store on Lon Gwernydd being opened last Thursday, the other nearest Aldi to Ruthin was situated in Denbigh.

But now with the new 1,315sqm shop opened within the town, Mayor Gavin Harris believes it can allow the once-dormant site to be ' further developed for employment and business use' - something he says is in 'high demand' in Ruthin.

Cllr Harris said: "Whilst shoppers in Ruthin are well served by our great collection of Independent retailers, many residents had to travel nearby towns to access a discount supermarkets, so Aldi in Ruthin will satisfy that demand and reduce the need for travel out of town.

"The development is also notable for having the county’s first cycle priority junction where the Ruthin to Rhewl cycle and footpath crosses the entrance. This builds upon Ruthin’s active travel network and with the new bus stops directly outside the store, provides alternative means for shoppers to visit Aldi without reliance on the car."

Denbighshire County councillors voted unanimously to grant planning permission for the Ruthin store in September last year.

The new Aldi store in Ruthin will be run by manager Scott Crass, along with a team of 28 colleagues who are from the local community.

It has a number of safety measures in place, including sanitisation stations on entry, Perspex screens at its tills and a traffic light system in place to control the number of people going in and out of the store.