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Morrisons in Folkestone to open tomorrow after fire
09:30, 06 November 2019
updated: 10:30, 06 November 2019
A team of firefighters will officially open a Morrisons supermarket, after the original burnt down.
The new Folkestone store will open its doors for the first time tomorrow, which will be exactly a year after a huge fire tore through the shop.
Morrisons fire in Folkestone
A ribbon cutting ceremony will be held at 9am, with members of Kent Fire and Rescue Service attending as the guests of honour.
Customers will then be able to enter the updated superstore, which will provide a wider range of groceries plus a bakers, butchers, fishmongers and florist.
Clothing from the Nutmeg range will also be on offer, as will key cutting and dry cleaning services.
The fire that destroyed the old Morrisons, in Cheriton Road, started in a deep fat fryer in the cafe on Thursday, November 8, 2018.
At its peak, more than 50 firefighters battled the inferno. Fortunately, there were no injuries.
Over the past 12 months the site has been cleared of debris, stripped back and then re-built, with the original framework being incorporated into the new building.
A temporary shop was erected in the car park in December, which served customers until last month.
Since then shoppers have been able to catch a free bus to Dover's Morrisons.
During the summer, drivers were left frustrated after claims their cars had been splattered with paint being sprayed on to the new store.
The vehicles were all parked in the close-by Three Hills Sports Park when airborne paint particles wafted across the lot and landed on them.
At the time, Morrisons said it was aware of the incident and was ‘liaising with the lead contractor to help any drivers affected’.
