A supermarket has apologised to residents after noisy early morning building work on a new store woke up residents.

A Morrisons M Local store is planned for the former Jack and Jenny pub in Hatfield Road, Witham.

Four planning applications relating to the project are still awaiting approval, but building work is already taking place on the site.

Tony Cooper, who lives in nearby Maltings Lane, claims neighbours were awoken at 7am on Monday by contractors.

A Morrisons spokesman said: “We are sorry for any inconvenience caused on Monday morning.

“We would like to reassure our neighbours that this was a mistake and have stressed the importance to our contractors of not starting any works on site until after 8am.”