A NEW Morrisons supermarket in Rayleigh is set to open by the end of October, and will create 20 new jobs.

The company plans to move in to the old Blockbusters store, in the High Street, which has been empty since March.

The “M” Local store will sell fresh foods, such as salads, sandwiches and coffee, to take away.

Rochford District Council’s licensing committee gave the go ahead to the plan by agreeing its alcohol licence, allowing it to sell alcohol from 6am to midnight, seven days a week.

The licence was granted to the supermarket despite the objections of some traders.

Glenn Hansraj, from the Newsflash Newsagent, in the High Street, attended the Rochford District Council licensing hearing.

He believes the long alcohol licensing hours will lead to more antisocial behaviour taking place on the streets of the town.

He added: “Greedy stores like Morrisons come in and destroy the social life of a town, and they just end up closing down small businesses.”

A spokeswoman for Morrisons said: “We were pleased with the outcome of the licensing hearing.

“We’ll now be focused on the store fit out and aim to open in the next couple of months.”