IT will be a family affair when Tesco opens its new £20m supermarket, in Durham City, later this month.

For 19-year-old Kelly Brannen will be working alongside six other members of her family.

Kelly, of Sherburn Road Estate, Durham, landed a job as an assistant in the 68,000sq ft store's baby department.

Her mother, Sarah, is in the dairy department and father, David, in the frozen foods section. Her cousin Mandy Fenwick, 22, has a job in the store's caf and her aunts Jacqui Brannen, Angela Foster and Pauline Fenwick, all from Durham, are in the home shopping section, customer service desk and checkout. They are among 200 of the 440 employees who were taken on by Tesco after completing a training scheme.

"We all get along fine,'' said Kelly. "People may find this hard to believe, but it's true.''

David Brannen said: "We all get on and are a close family. We are all on different shifts. My wife and I are on night shift and Kelly is on day shift.

"The new store is great for the local estates. We have been treated well from the start.''

Store manager Tony Watson said: "We are absolutely delighted to welcome Kelly and her family on board."

The 24-hour store in Dragon Lane, Dragonville, is the first in the North-East to be linked to a regeneration scheme.

The company pioneered the approach in Leeds and aims to provide work for local unemployed people.

It formed the Dragonville Partnership with local councils and other agencies last year.