FILM directors could soon be heading for Little Hulton -- lured by a "movie village" being built in the town.

Entrepreneurs Ken Sykes and Bob Horsefield are transforming a derelict warehouse into film studios.

The pair, who run Webb Lighting, have snapped up the Alpine Soft Drinks site next to their Ravenscraig Road headquarters

The two have 30 years' experience in the film industry, working on commercials and TV productions.

The say the eyesore site they are developing will become home to six studios at a cost of £700,000 and will rival Pinewood Studios and Shepperton.

work on the movie village is set to take place within months. Once the warehouse is converted, work will begin on building more studios next door.

Mr Horsfield said: "The studios will have all the facilities a TV or film studio will need. The only restriction is the height of the warehouse. It's not amazingly high -- so there's no chance of filming Batman in there and recreating Gotham City.

"But the development will put Little Hulton firmly on the movie map."

Liverpool striker Michael Owen used their existing facility on Ravenscraig Road to film an advert for Yamaha which was broadcast in Asia.

Plans for the film village have been on the drawing board for three years and are now going ahead after auditors KPMG carried out a feasibility study which showed it was a worthwhile venture.

A grant from the Regeneration Development Agency for £60,000 will kickstart the scheme.

Bob said: "The North-west has a wonderfully pro-active television industry.

"But it's still a bit scattered. We want to create a central location to bring things together a bit more.

"There are brilliant locations across the region and we feel creating quality studios would make the area even more attractive to producers, directors and location managers."

The project will take up to six years to complete.

The North-west has been the setting for dozens of highly acclaimed television series and one-off specials.

Red Productions have produced the hugely popular programmes Clocking Off, Burn It and Cutting It, and Granada have made a wealth of top-quality shows including Cracker and Cold Feet.

Films such as The Parole Officer with Steve Coogan and The 51st State with Samuel L Jackson were filmed in Manchester and Liverpool.