TERRIFIED staff and shoppers fled from a supermarket after a freezer appeared to explode.

The drama unfolded in the Tesco score at Delves Lane, Consett, last week, while about 200 shoppers were in the store.

The building was evacuated and the store closed after the incident, which left a woman injured. It was caused when a ceiling pipe leading into the freezer section ruptured. Refrigeration gases spilled on to the floor as a result.

Shoppers and staff gathered in the car park while the fire brigade ventilated the building and engineers worked to repair the ruptured pipe.

A fire brigade spokeswoman confirmed that a woman had been slightly injured and taken to Shotley Bridge Hospital.