FORMER employees of a Stourport factory have commemorated the site’s past by laying personalised bricks at a new development which is taking its place.

Carpets of Worth, in Severn Road, was one of many carpet factories in the region until its closure in the 1990s.

Former employees of the company have laid bricks, engraved with their names, on the site, which will become part of a 30,000 sq ft Tesco superstore.

Chris Collins, Tesco store manager, said: “It is an absolute pleasure for us to lay the bricks.

“We have colleagues with us that used to work at the Carpets of Worth site and we know how iconic and central the company was to the community.

“We hope to replicate that and the jobs we’ve created will help.

“It is important to us that our colleagues that have helped shaped Stourport’s past are here to help shape its future.”

The new store will consist of a retail area on the ground floor, as well as a mezzanine level for staff.

It will also include a four-pump petrol filling station and car parking for 300 vehicles, including 17 disabled spaces and 12 for parents and children.

Andy Pennell, project manager at building contractors Barr Construction, said: “This is an important site to the people of Stourport.

“It has been tremendously rewarding to be able to provide former Carpet of Worth workers the opportunity to put their stamp on the store, which will breathe new life into this part of town.

“The workers enjoyed making their mark on the building and hearing about this much anticipated development.

“It’s been a terrific project and we’d glad to have the chance to engage with the local community and keep them up to date.”

Building work started on the superstore in April, three years after Wyre Forest District Council’s planning committee gave the supermarket giant’s plans the go-ahead.

Originally set for a 2012 opening, which was then delayed until 2013, the store is now expected to be completed later this year.