EIGHTEEN new jobs are being created as a new petrol station and food store opens in York today.

BP has teamed up with Marks & Spencer's Simply Food brand for the new service station in Lawrence Street, marking the second partnership between the two in York.

More than £1 million has been spent on re-developing the old site which re-opens today under the BP brand with 18 staff after a three-month refit.

To mark the opening the Lord Mayor, Cllr Sonja Crisp, will be cutting the ribbon this morning.

Following on the heels of the BP London Bridge store, in Tadcaster Road, which opened in August, the Lawrence Street site, known as Jorvik, is the second of three BP / M&S Simply Food stores expected to open in York between now and the end of the year, creating a total of more than 50 jobs.

BP Poppleton, in Boroughbridge Road is scheduled to open in November.

Chris Woodburn, BP area manager said: "The new store and introduction of the M&S Simply Food range means we have been able to create eighteen new jobs for people in the local area.

"It’ll be open 24/7 providing customers with a selected range of Marks & Spencer’s food alongside our Wild Bean Café."

BP has been expanding in Yorkshire with recent additional convenience stores opening in Pannal, Harrogate, and South Milford, Leeds and more stores planned to open in 2016.