THE OPENING of a controversial new Tesco Express store has been pushed back by three days because of a lack of electricity at the site.

A spokeswoman for the supermarket giant told the Guardian that its Wanstead High Street branch will start trading next Saturday (December 19) rather than on Wednesday as originally planned because the building is not yet connected to the national grid.

The delay will come as little consolation to opponents of the new store who mounted an unsuccessful campaign to prevent it receiving an alcohol licence during the summer.

Members of Redbridge Green Party are due to stage a protest outside the branch today (Saturday) calling on shoppers to boycott its goods.

The opening comes nearly a year after Tesco bought the site from Woolworths.

A Tesco spokeswoman said: "Unfortunately the site had no power so we had to apply for a new connection, which we anticipated would have been available by now.

"Regrettably this was not the case so we had no choice but to put back the opening. However, we have been told this will be rectified shortly and we hope to open on Saturday, December 19.

"We would like to apologise for any inconvenience this has caused."