THE new Costa coffee shop in Chard has officially opened.

Chard town mayor Cllr Dave Bulmer cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony at the store on Fore Street on Saturday to unveil the new-look store.

The arrival of Costa on to the high street has split opinion in the town, and it is the second branch of the chain to open in the area, with one opening in Crewkerne last week.

The new 1,500 sq ft Chard store will be managed by Jack Price, who has worked for the company for three and a half years and most recently worked as assistant manager in the Sidmouth Costa.

In total the new store will create seven new jobs in the town, with three in Crewkerne.

Matt Coulthard, Costa’s operations manager, said: “We’re delighted to be opening two brand new Costa’s in the local area within a week of each other.

“We look forward to welcoming local residents and visitors to enjoy the Costa experience with us. Our stores in the surrounding towns are so popular we wanted to bring our great coffee and service even closer to the people of Crewkerne and Chard.”