Work on an 80-bedroom Premier Inn at Cockermouth is ready to start after the hotel chain's owner, Whitbread, completed the purchase of the site.

It has paid an undisclosed sum, believed to be in the region of £1.1 million, to buy The Shepherds Hotel and restaurant on the edge of the town. 

Whitbread intends to redevelop the site with a Premier Inn and a linked 200-seater Brewer’s Fayre restaurant.

Commercial property specialist Colliers International handled the sale on behalf of owner Roy Campbell.

It follows Allerdale council's decision to grant planning consent for the new hotel, which will create 50 jobs directly and another 25 in the supply chain.

Construction is due to begin imminently for completion early next year.

Nick Johnston, acquisition manager for Premier Inn in the North West and Wales, said: “Investing and regenerating existing hotel sites to offer great quality and value hotels is something we take great pride in.

“The Shepherds Hotel will be a great example of that.

“We are looking forward to coming to Cockermouth, creating new jobs, supporting the local economy and strengthening choice in the market.”

There are four Premier Inns in Carlisle and others in Whitehaven, Barrow, Kendal and Penrith.

The chain also has plans for hotels in Ambleside and Ulverston.