Budgens of Holt fire: Work to begin replacing supermarket

An electrical fault caused the fire, an investigation concluded

Work is to begin next week on replacing a town's only supermarket that burnt down last year.

Budgens, described as a "lifeline" by customers in Holt, Norfolk, was gutted by fire in June during lockdown.

Owners CT Baker Group said it was "thrilled" that contractors would begin work on the Kerridge Way site on Monday.

A temporary store on the site would remain open until the new shop opened in November next year, the owners said.

Holt Post Office, which had been in Budgens, would also continue to operate temporarily from Bakers and Larners department store while the new supermarket was built, CT Baker said.

Artist's impression of the new Budgens store which is expected to be completed by November 2022

As well as the department store, Holt has some independent food shops, but since the fire, the nearest supermarket has been seven miles (11km) away on the coast at Sheringham.

No-one was in the building at the time of the fire and an investigation concluded the it was caused by an electrical fault.