Tributes have been paid to a much-loved woman who died of a heart attack following a shift at a Stevenage supermarket.

Tesco employee Rita Hadfield died after going into cardiac arrest at the grocery giant’s town centre store on Friday.

She later died after being taken to Lister Hospital in the town.

Tesco store manager Scott Bradley said: “We were very sad to learn Rita had passed away. She was a very popular colleague at the store and will be sorely missed. Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this very sad time.”

A friend who asked to remain anonymous added: “She was a lovely lady. She had a nice dry sense of humour and always had a word for everyone. Everyone is shocked.”

The ambulance service has confirmed two crews were sent to the Tesco Extra at about 6.35pm to treat a woman in her early 50s after she collapsed.