A FIRE that broke out at Tesco Express in Oxford Road has been extinguished. 

The fire was apparently caused by an electrical fault in the basement of the store, where plumes of smoke could be seen coming out of the building.

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "At 12:43PM on Tuesday, 6 August, we received reports of a basement fire in a commercial premise on Oxford Road, Reading.

"Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service crews from Dee Road, Wokingham Road, Wokingham, Bracknell, Whitley Wood and the Incident Command Unit from Maidenhead were sent to the scene, along with two Officers.

"Crews worked with the local electricity board to extinguish the fire using CO2 extinguishers in the electrical intake and to isolate the power to make the property safe.

"Firefighters will remain on scene for a short period to ventilate the property and ensure scene safety. Cheapside will remain closed while they remain on scene."

A manager at the Tesco store said she could “smell burning coming from the basement” and immediately evacuated everyone from the store.

A Tesco spokesperson said: “The fire service were called earlier today to the building at 28 Oxford Road, Reading where our Oxford Road Express store is located. The store was safely evacuated and currently remains closed. We apologise to customers for any inconvenience caused.”

Cheapside is currently still closed.

More to follow.