A NEW store has opened in Hartlepool's Middleton Grange Shopping Centre at the old Woolworths site, creating about 55 jobs.

Mayor of Hartlepool Stuart Drummond cut the ribbon at the new British Home Stores (BHS) shop the day after he had publicly expressed worries about the number of empty units at the centre.

At the State of the Borough address on Wednesday, Mr Drummond said: "Middleton Grange is quite worrying, with the amount of empty units.

"We're hoping BHS will act as a hook to bring more investment into the centre."

Shoppers queued from 8am to have a first glimpse of the multi-million-pound refurbishment, which has seen the store go from one to two floors, increasing its size to 35,000sq ft.

Mark Rycraft, manager of Middleton Grange, said: "It's great to have BHS open after so much anticipation."