Reports on social media suggested Tesco Express in Yate was on fire on Sunday night after smoke filled the store and shoppers were evacuated.

At around 7pm Sunday night, all shoppers and were asked to immediately leave the Tesco store in Brimsham Park after smoke engulfed the premises following a power cut.

The electricity outage and subsequent surge triggered the stores anti-theft device which then released smoke into the store.

A witness reported not being able to see anything as they were escorted from the store.

A spokesperson for Tesco said: “A power cut on Sunday evening triggered an anti-theft device which released harmless smoke at our Brimsham Park Express store. We evacuated the store briefly, but re-opened once the smoke had cleared.”