AN offer has been made to purchase the site of Colchester's B&Q store, which is set to eventually become a Sainsbury’s supermarket.

The 8.8 acre site, located off Lightship Way, was placed on the market by commercial property giants Colliers International for offers in excess of £29,225,000.

Now the site is listed as under offer on the property firm's website, meaning it could have a new owner soon.

Colliers is marketing the freehold of the site, which is roughly the size of nine football pitches, with the tenants in situ, but said the area had “future residential development potential”.

Sainsbury’s plans to open its new 73,000sq ft store in Hythe, the firm’s second in Colchester, were delayed in April.

Although the supermarket chain will still take over the lease the B&Q store is set to stay put at its Hythe home for another two years.

This is because work on the DIY store’s new premises at the Stane Retail Park, Stanway, has been slower than expected getting started.