FAST-Food chain McDonalds opened its new drive-through restaurant in Burnley -- just six weeks after work started at the Trafalgar Street site.

The £1million centre also seats 85 people and will employ 20 full-time and 31 part-time staff.

"We are up and running and very busy," said a company spokesman.

Meanwhile, McDonalds has signed an agreement for a long-awaited restaurant in Colne -- a 31,000sq ft unit on the new North Valley retail Park.

Developer Gregory Properties said McDonalds had been looking for a plot in the area for some years, which was ideal to serve the whole of the Pendle area.

Gregory development manager Richard Tovey said: "We are pleased we have been able to reach agreement with McDonalds with whom we started discussing the site a number of years ago."

Fashion retailer Matalan recently opened a 30,000sq ft store on the Colne site and the two remaining retail units have been let to Poundstretcher and the German-based discount food retailer, Aldi.

These units will be open by early February, says Gregory.

The developer has also agreed terms with another food retailer and a car dealership.