A NELSON sandwich bar will continue to operate, despite concerns about the possibility it could turn into a takeaway.

Councillors have given permission for Janet Licastri and her husband to change the use of an office in Leeds Road into a sandwich bar and will not prosecute them for opening their business before permission was granted.

Residents called on councillors to reject the scheme because they were worried about increased traffic and late opening hours.

But planning officer Daniel Hartley said changes in the law meant the couple could open a shop without permission and highways officers had not objected to the application.

Nelson Committee decided it was better to grant permission and place restrictions on the business that it should only open from 8am to 2pm than reject the application and risk of it turning into a corner shop which could open all hours.

Resident Arthur Bell told councillors: "If that had been put at the beginning, there would have been no objections whatsoever. The thing is, here is a dangerous road and there's a hell of a traffic situation. It's absolute chaos. We were worried about the school children."

Some councillors were minded to turn down the application but the proposal to approve it with restrictions for 12 months was passed.