Poundland have issued a statement after a south Essex store has re-opened after initially being shut over "rodent activity".

The Echo received reports of Poundland, in Furtherwick Road, Canvey, being closed over "rodent activity".

Bosses have since clarified the situation and confirmed they had temporarily closed over "evidence of rodent activity yesterday".

However, after a full investigation by specialists, the store has now re-opened today.

A spokesman for Poundland said: "Our colleagues at Canvey Island found some evidence of rodent activity yesterday.

"While that’s a rare occurrence, if that’s ever the case we temporarily close to investigate the cause and take immediate action.

"That’s what's happened here – we closed briefly yesterday, called specialists in to investigate, who then gave us the all-clear.

"The store re-opened this morning after checks were completed. We always act quickly when we find these kind of issues."