Lidl's new store on Portland is taking shape – with the steel frame for the building almost complete.

The supermarket will create around 40 full and part time jobs when it opens in the autumn.

It is being built close to the sailing academy and will feature an an in-store bakery, customer toilet and parking.

At the time the 1,104 square metre store was granted planning permission, in December last year, more than 4,000 people had signed a petition in support of the company building on the site with around 250 writing to the planning authority in favour of the application.

The store was granted permission on the same day as Aldi was granted permission for a store off Mercery Road, a decision which the company said would lead to the closure of its existing business at the Jubilee Retail Park, close to the railway station.

Independent retail experts told the council that the new stores would have little effect on existing businesses in the area – although Morrisons wrote to the borough council to dispute the finding and said it believed the new Aldi supermarket would have an impact on its Weymouth trade.

Said Weymouth councillor Cllr Kevin Brookes at the time: “ I'm equally enthusiastic about both of these schemes...competition is good.”