A LUXURY doughnut chain has opened its third store in the North-East as part of a £1m expansion programme in the region.

Krispy Kreme has created 14 jobs in its coffee shop on Silver Street in Durham City, following on from new branches that opened in Sunderland last week and the Metrocentre, in Gateshead, last month.

The American high end sweet treats company has created 120 posts in the North-East in total and has plans to open another outlet in Newcastle city centre.

The opening in Durham today, Tuesday, was greeted by a queue of more than 80 people from across the city and the surrounding area.

The first fans in line were Sam Cottrell and Shaun Scott, who had waited from 2.30am outside the store before the opening at 10am to secure their place. They were rewarded with a Krispy Kreme Gold Card, entitling them to free doughnuts for a year.

Sam Cottrell, from Durham, said, “We’ve been massive Krispy Kreme fans for a long time and have been eagerly anticipating its arrival in Durham since it was announced a few weeks ago.

“We're so happy to be the first through the door and to get our hands on a Krispy Kreme Gold Card and we’ll be sure to share with our friends and family.”

The chain, which began in America in 1937, opened its first UK store in Harrods and now has 52 across the country.

As well as glazed doughnuts there are many other varieties on offer including a new featuring salted caramel, pistachio and white chocolate nougat and chocolate praline fudge cake.

Judith Denby, chief marketing officer at Krispy Kreme UK, said: “We’re excited to finally bring KrispyKreme to Durham and the response we’ve had from everyone around has been fantastic.”