FOUR Safeway stores in Cleveland are up for grabs following a takeover by Morrison's on Monday.

Under Competition Commission rules, the Wakefield-based chain has to sell off 52 of its newly-acquired Safeway supermarkets as a going concern to other food retailers.

The stores affected in Cleveland are those at Guisborough, Ingleby Barwick, Loftus and Coulby Newham.

A spokeswoman for Safeway said the hope was that any retailer who bought the stores would retain staff.

Coun Anne Franklin, chairman of Guisborough Town Council, said: "It shouldn't be a problem, provided we get another decent store in the town centre. But I hope it's done quickly and the store is not closed and left empty, because we could not possibly do without a decent food store.

"It needs to be in the town centre because we have a lot of old people who can't go out of town for their shopping."

Coun Tom Bowman, chairman of Ingleby Barwick Parish Council, was cautious about the news. He said: "It seems a very popular shop - the car park is always full when you go past - so it should be easily taken over by somebody else."

* In Darlington, Morrison's is to sell the large Safeway store in Victoria Road and the small supermarket in Cockerton, while in Ripon the firm is to sell its town centre Morrison's store and keep the edge-of-town Safeway.