STAFF at Morrisons in Seacombe are at risk after the supermarket announced it is one of the 10 stores to close later this year.

Morrisons ousted Dalton Philips as its boss earlier this week after the company's board called for a "fresh pair of eyes" to oversee the chain's revival push.

The decision to remove Mr Philips - and close 10 loss-making stores, putting 400 jobs at risk - came as Morrisons posted more disappointing trading figures, with a 3.1% slide in like-for-like sales in the six weeks to January 4.

Rumours on social media sites suggested the Church Road store in Seacombe was one of those at risk, with bosses today confirming it to be true.

Staff are currently being consulted, with the supermarket hoping to "reduce the risk of redundancies" where possible.

A Morrisons spokesman said: “We have looked extremely carefully at whether this store can be turned around but unfortunately we cannot see a way of making it viable.  

"We are therefore proposing its closure.  We are consulting with colleagues and unions to reduce the risk of redundancies and we are looking at ways of redeploying colleagues around our business.”

The spokesman could not confirm an exact closure date, although Facebook posts suggest it could be mid March.