A HUGE supermarket blaze caused chaos in Northwich town centre on Thursday afternoon when a fire broke out at Sainsbury's in Venables Road.

Seven fire engines were dispatched to tackle the fire, which broke out shortly after midday at the rear of the building - only metres away from the store's petrol station.

Clouds of acrid, brown smoke covered the skies above the town as firefighters tried to contain the blaze, using a hydraulic platform to attack the fire from above.

The store was packed with lunchtime shoppers when the fire alarms rang out and hundreds had to be evacuated to avoid any potential injuries.

Cheshire Fire Service is still investigating what caused the fire and a spokesman could not confirm speculation in the town that the fire started near a generator.

The spokesman said: "A number of lines of inquiry are now open. No cause of the fire has yet been established.

"Aggressive fire fighting techniques ensured that the fire was contained to the storage area and was prevented from spreading into the main store area.

"Members of the public were promptly evacuated by staff and management, who did a very professional job.

"Fire investigators at the scene centred their investigation around the electrical plant area. Firefighters stayed on the scene to cut away and remove parts of the roof that continued to present a hazard."

Although the fire was brought fully under control at 2.30pm, motorists were caught up in traffic chaos around the town.

Cheshire Police warned people to stay away and closed Venables Road at its junction with Witton and Leicester Streets.

Temporary traffic lights are now in operation on Venables Road and a spokesman for the Highways Authority said: "There is a wall next to the road that may have to be demolished and until that is resolved there will be a single lane traffic control system in operation."

The supermarket is expected to be open for business by Tuesday, June 17.

rfraser@guardiangrp.co.uk