Demolition work is well under way at the former Sainsbury's site in Newport city centre

The Bristol-based Fear Group bought the site, now known as Newport Gateway, about six years ago and Hereford-based Wye Valley Demolition have been on site for about three weeks clearing it and carrying out demolition of some of the buildings.

The firm is expected to be onsite for another nine weeks carrying out the total demolition of the 'eye sore' building and levelling the site.

Despite the recent snow, the main building of the former supermarket has already been brought down along with the old petrol station building, with one more section to be demolished. Work will also include building up the river bank as part of a flood defence and levelling off the site.

Leon Fear, of the Fear Group, said: "We are very pleased with progress on site despite the recent snow making conditions difficult for our contractors. We are looking forward to seeing the site cleared."

The Fear Group hold planning permission for mixed use including student accommodation, a hotel and residential, for the site, but they will be submitting a new application for the site later in the year, saying that Brexit and student numbers were the reason behind the changes.

Work to demolish the building had been hit by a number of delays, including the bat sighting, all of which Leon Fear, of the Fear Group, said had been 'frustrating'.

Mr Fear said: "We always said we would demolish this building. The local residents have had to live with this eye sore for too long."

Dr Stephen Fear, of the Fear Group, said: "We are hoping to invest more in Newport in the future, not just on this site but to do with manufacturing as well.

"Brexit has changed the investment profile for a lot of investors because at the moment, noone knows where they are with it. We see it as an opportunity and I think Newport, with the electrification of the railway and it being so well location, is a real hot spot. It is no longer the ugly sister between Cardiff and Bristol."

The 2.67-hectare site on the banks of the River Usk has been vacant since Sainsbury’s moved to Crindau around five years ago.

The Fear Group have spent more than £300,000 on the application to transform it.

In 2016 The Fear Group, which is run by Dr Stephen Fear and his son Leon said it had given up on plans to redevelop the former supermarket site at Wyndham Street after delays in signing a legal agreement with Natural Resources Wales and after the site was targeted by vandals, thieves and arsonists.

But they decided to carry on with the scheme and just before they managed to get on site at the beginning of last year, they were held up again after a bat was spotted flying into the building.

And before Christmas they had to secure the back of the site close to the river with shipping containers welded together in a bid to stop travellers moving their vehicles onto it.