SHOPPERS were evacuated from Co-op on Anglesea Street in Ryde after a fire broke out at the store.

Firefighters from Ryde Fire Station were called out alongside police just after 4.20pm this afternoon (Thursday).

A spokesperson for the fire and rescue service said that a small rubbish fire had started in a stairwell, but it was extinguished by the time firefighters arrived on scene.

The crew cleared smoke and handed the incident over to police just before 5pm.