FORTY jobs are to be created at a new hotel and pub complex in Chorley.

Building work on the new Chef and Brewer pub and Lodge Inn next to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal is already under way.

The work includes refurbishing the Old Malt House, formerly a brewery, transforming it into a major waterside attraction for the town.

Brewers Scottish and Newcastle are to manage the development, which, if all goes according to plan, could be open as early as next May.

Spokeswoman Joss Hastings confirmed: "The development is a part-conversion of the historical brewery, the old Malt House, into a pub and hotel."

She added: "Situated on the Leeds to Liverpool Canal, the development will be set on the waterfront and will retain many features of the original building."

The pub will be part of Scottish and Newcastle's successful Chef and Brewer chain.

According to Ms Hastings: "The pub will offer a wide range of cask-conditioned ales and an impressive choice of wines, along with an imaginative menu of excellent, freshly prepared food."

The Lodge Inn meanwhile, will have a total of 81 bedrooms, with 61 in the main building and 20 more in an old stable block nearby.

The site, off the A674, will also be home to a new tennis centre, being built alongside the pub and hotel.

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