SPECSAVERS is closing one of its two town centre branches as it expands its main store in Blackburn.

The opticians has doubled the size of its store in The Mall and created 10 jobs to make space for the team currently based in the Morrisons branch

Specsavers is spending £500,000 on the expansion.

Director Stuart Ingleby said it was a a ‘proud milestone’ for the team, which is now 95 strong.

He said: "We are hugely excited about these plans which have only been made possible by the loyalty of the people of Blackburn over the past three decades and counting.

"This investment represents our commitment to new and existing customers in the town and providing more accessible services than ever before."

Combining the two stores will result in an increase of the current six test rooms to 12, one of which will be dedicated to contact lens care and two dedicated to hearing.

The expanded base will also incorporate a new lift, making the store more accessible.

The store will also offer 3D eye scanning technology in conjunction with a normal eye test.

Mr Ingleby added: "We’re extremely proud of our heritage as one of the town’s long-standing businesses and we are proud to take our clinical expertise a stage further and enhance the level of care we can offer people in Blackburn with the added benefit of helping to reduce the pressure on our local GP surgeries and other NHS services.

"We look forward to delivering the benefits of our expanded services and welcoming even more customers through our doors."

A fun day will be held to mark the launch of the expanded store in The Mall on Saturday, September 15.

The Morrisons store site will close its doors on 31 August.