Aldi is looking to build five new stores across the county, two of which will be in East Lancashire.

The UK's fifth largest supermarket has announced it is on the lookout for five new locations, including one in Darwen and one in either Colne or Nelson.

In recent years Aldi has been on an expansion drive, opening around one new store a week on average to meet demand from new customers.

The other areas in Lancashire where it is now looking for new sites include Ormskirk, Lancaster and Penwortham.

Aldi, which has more than 900 stores across the UK, is seeking freehold town-centre or edge-of-centre sites suitable for development.

It says each site should be around 1.5 acres and able to accommodate a 20,000 sq ft store with around 100 parking spaces, ideally on a prominent main road and with good visibility and access.

National Property Director at Aldi UK, Ciaran Aldridge, said: “We have been investing in Britain for more than 30 years now, but we know that there are still areas that either do not have an Aldi at all, or that need another store to meet customer demand.

“Shoppers are increasingly looking to get unbeatable prices on their weekly shop without compromising on quality.

"That’s why, more so than ever, we’re keen to explore all opportunities to open new stores across the country.”

The full list of locations it is targeting in Lancashire are:

• Colne/Nelson

• Darwen

• Lancaster

• Ormskirk

• Penwortham

Regeneration boss at Blackburn with Darwen Council, Cllr Phil Riley said the addition of another supermarket such as Aldi in Darwen would be beneficial for the town.

He said: "I think this is great. We will be very supportive of Aldi in this respect.

"Darwen is a growing town with a growing population and it's part of what residents want when they move here so it will be good for the town."