Herne Bay’s new Aldi supermarket is finally due to open today.

The food chain will welcome the first customers to the Kings Road store at 8am as Olympic gold medal-winning rower Tom Ransley cuts the ribbon.

Building work started a year ago after a string of delays during the planning process, with the opening date put back several times.

The 18,000 sq ft store, which will have a 72-space car park, is expected to draw in a further 500,000 visitors and shoppers to the town centre every year.

But the project faced a number of stumbling blocks, including highways issues.

Plans for the shop were first announced by developers five years ago as part of a wider town regeneration, creating 30 jobs.

The store will be open from 8am to 10pm Monday to Saturday, and 10am to 4pm on Sundays.