CONTRACTORS have now moved into Accrington's new leisure complex to start work on fitting out a 20-lane bowling alley.

Council bosses say the £1million outlet off Moreton Street should be fully open for business in the first two weeks of July.

Onlookers watched in amazement as a new 85-seater McDonald's restaurant was lowered in on a crane just over a week ago and the drive-thru fast food restaurant will be open for business from next Monday.

The contract for the bowling alley is with North West-based firm Osprey, which operates similar sites in Morecambe and Barrow-in-Furness. Work has already begun and the 800-seat cinema is set to be fitted out at the beginning of April.

This will be known as the Accrington Metro and will be operated by Metroplex of London. The last cinema in the town closed in the 1980s to make way for the Arndale shopping centre.

But after a petition by 14-year-old Emma Allardice three years ago, council bosses and business leaders agreed that a new cinema could survive in the town and work started last June.

Plans are now being drawn up to make the opening of the multi-million pound venture the event of the summer.