CUSTOMERS have been evacuated from Morrisons in Stanley Road, Whitefield, after a fire.

The fire service was called to the supermarket at 9.13am on Tuesday and are currently tackling the blaze.

A fire service spokesman said: "We were called to Morrisons in Whitefield at 9.13am and it seems that a fire started in a generator on the first floor.

Crew manager Dave Barnet, based at Whitefield fire station, said: "The supermarket has a gas-powered engine which supplies the it with electricity.

"The engine became defective and sent smoke and flames out through the roof.

"A customer out in the car park saw the flames on the roof and raised the alarm.

"The roof was smouldering by the time we arrived and the fire was out.

"We waited for an electrical engineer to arrive to check things were safe and the store reopened."

A Morrisons spokesman said: “Smoke was seen coming from the roof at 9.10am.

"The alarm sounded and the store was evacuated.

“The Fire Service was called as the smoke was coming from a generator, but there was no fire.

“An engineer has been out to inspect - the generator has a blown piston.

"The store re-opened at 10.30am and customers were let back in.”