NATIONAL pub chain Wetherspoon has been given the green light for a new pub, which will open its doors in St Helens next April.

The company will be spending more than £1 million developing the new pub in Market Street, which will create 30 new full and part-time jobs.

A licence for the bar, to be called The Original Vaults, was granted at St Helens Magistrates Court last week. Planning permission had already been granted.

Wetherspoon is set to start building work at the end of November. The Original Vaults will be completely music-free and will also have no pool tables.

About one-third of the customer area will be designated as non-smoking. And the pub will be wheelchair-accessible with a specially-adpated toilet for customers with disabilities.

It will specialise in cask-conditioned beers, serving up to six at all times, including beers from brewers across the UK.

The pub will be open all week, including all day Sunday, and will serve a full menu at all times.

Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin, said: "We are delighted to have been granted a licence to open a new pub in St Helens. We are confident the pub will prove popular to a wide range of people who enjoy a drink or a meal in quiet and comfortable surroundings."