An Olympic champion opened a supermarket in a brand new Maldon retail park.

Gold medalist at Rio 2016, Saskia Clark MBE cut the ribbon in front of staff and shoppers at the official opening of Blackwater Retail Park's newest store, Aldi.

Saskia, who took gold in the sailing 470 women's class two years ago was helped by store manager, Scott Chamberlain and area manager, Sharna Willcox as they welcomed the store's first customers inside.

Complimentary bags full of fresh fruit and vegetables were also handed out by Saskia to the first 30 customers through the door.

She thanked the store for inviting to the opening.

Saskia said: "I’ve had great fun this morning with the customers at Aldi Blackwater Park.

“A big thanks to Scott and the Aldi Blackwater Park team, and all of the shoppers who came down to the opening for making me feel so welcome.”

The huge new Aldi at Blackwater Retail Park will join Sports Direct and Costa which have opened over the last month.

National brands Next and Home Bargains have also opened their doors in the last week.

John Parling from Aquila Holdings, who are overseeing the retail park's development is very positive to see the stores now fully fitted and ready to trade.

He said: “This represents a milestone for the development, now we need to ensure the tenants are happy and they have people fully engaged."

Planning permission for Blackwater Retail Park was granted by Maldon District Council in 2016.

Work begun on the site in October 2017.

The last beam of construction was laid on the site in March.

Previous concerns said the park would not open until early next year, however a very quick turnaround has seen the stores officially opened on time and in Sports Direct's case, ahead of schedule.

Aquila invested a total of £20million into the new site, which is creating 200 new jobs to Maldon district.

As well as the park, a 60-bed Travelodge hotel was granted planning permission in August.

The hotel is anticipated to be complete by September 2019.

The new Aldi store has created 30 jobs for people in Maldon.

It will be open from 8am to 10pm on Monday to Saturday, and 10am to 4pm on Sundays.

Store Manager, Scott Chamberlain was very pleased with the reception the store received and thankful for Saskia's appearance at the opening.

He said: “What a fantastic start for the Blackwater Park store.

"Saskia was brilliant with our shoppers this morning, taking the time to chat and pose for selfies.

“The team and I would like to extend a huge thanks to everyone who came along and made this a day to remember.”