A discount food store has closed down just five months after first opening its doors in a County Durham town.

The highly-anticipated Oops! Food Clearance store opened inside the former Argos and EE store on The Parade in Newton Aycliffe back in February this year.

At the time, residents shared their excitement as signs went up appearing to show a tenant would be moving into the once-popular location.

Read more: Bargain store opening in Aycliffe's old Argos - and the discounts are staggering

Meanwhile, company bosses were said to be looking forward to trading in the town after opening similar venues in Durham City.

The Northern Echo: Picture: SARAH CALDECOTTPicture: SARAH CALDECOTT

However, in a social media post, the store announced a last minute sale as it said the site would be closing down.

It said: "This Friday and Saturday due to store closure, come and pick a bargain. Everything in store is half price.

"Thank you everyone for your custom. When it's gone it's gone."

And on Sunday all references to the shop on the Oops official website were removed and its status updated to "permanently closed" on Google. 

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The announcement was met with widespread disappointment as some branded the closure as a "shame."

One person said: "Sorry to see you going guys, all the very best to your staff."

Another said: "It's a shame. I really thought this would be a winner here in Aycliffe. There never seems to be anyone in it."

The company, which already has at Dragonville Retail Park, had previously pledged to bring “the very best food at the lowest possible prices, sourcing our products from the world’s largest and best-known food manufacturers, we buy overproduced items and sell them to you at massively discounted prices.”

The Northern Echo approached the retailer for comment but did not receive a response at time of publication.

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