THE Oak Mall in Greenock is now open after being closed all day yesterday due to flooding.

Management announced this morning that the shopping centre would return to normal trading, but later than usual.

A statement said: "The Oak Mall is pleased to announce that we will be opening to members of the public at approximately 9am this morning, following a successful life safety system test.

"We would again like to thank Oak Mall staff and retail tenants for working hard to achieve re-opening.

"Thank you for your patience during this time."

Bosses apologised to customers for the inconvenience.

Retailers lost thousands of pounds in takings yesterday when the centre was closed due to damage caused by storms overnight on Tuesday.

Centre manager Claire Jefcoate said it had been necessary to shut down yesterday for 'health and safety reasons'.

Ms Jefcoate added that it had been a 'challenging situation for both traders and customers alike'.