A popular supermarket in Newport city centre unexpectedly closed this afternoon.

Customers hoping to make use of the Sainsbury’s local store attached to the Kingsway Shopping Centre in John Frost Square this afternoon (Tuesday, November 2) were left disappointed, as doors were shut to customers.

Despite the store’s regular trading hours of 8am to 10pm each day, the shop was shut at around 3pm, and remained so for a number of hours.

Signs on the door read “Store closed until further notice.

“We apologise or any inconvenience caused”.

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Behind the store entrance’s automatic doors, trolleys, usually used for stocking shelves, had been positioned to prevent unauthorised access.

What’s more, a loss prevention officer could also be seen in the entranceway of the unit – which offers a smaller range of groceries compared to regular sized Sainsbury’s stores.

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What have Sainsbury’s said about the closure?

Despite the makeshift sign on the shop doors, and the barrier put in place to prevent access, a spokeswoman for the supermarket has said that their John Frost Square store was temporarily closed “closed for maintenance”.

They went on to stress that the store has since reopened.

It is not clear exactly what maintenance has been carried out.

However, in recent weeks, customers have reported seeing buckets on the shop floor, to catch water leaking from the roof – though there is no indication that this was the cause of today’s closure.

A spokeswoman for the supermarket said: “Our John Frost Square store was closed for maintenance for a brief time today.

“We have now reopened and are sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused.”