CELEBRITY chef Paul Heathcote has been forced to close his Clitheroe restaurant after it became a 'continuous drain'.

Heathcotes Grill and Bar in the Ribble Valley town was closed just nine months after the venue was relaunched.

The businessman blamed the tough economic climate and the competition in the market town for the closure of one of his four remaining businesses.

The restaurant in York Street served customers for the final time on Sunday.

It follows the sale of six of his North West restaurants for an undisclosed sum at the end of last year.

Mr Heathcote said the decision to close the business was “inevitable” after taking professional advice.

He said: “Clitheroe has continued to under-perform since re-opening as Heathcotes Grill and Bar in October.

“We sold six restaurants last year and my intentions were to run a smaller group but Clitheroe has been a continuous drain.

“I have supported it but it no longer makes financial sense.

“It’s just not busy enough, that’s all. It was the Olive Press for two and a half years.

"We changed it but it hasn’t really changed the fortunes of it. It’s a tough market.

“Clitheroe is a great town and all my instincts tell me it should work.

“Maybe it is a great site for someone who wants to work for just one restaurant, or perhaps I pitched the offer too high, or maybe it is just due to the economic climate not being great.

“Retail and consumer spending is tough, you only have to see the news everyday.

“TJ Hughes, Habitat, Focus DIY and Woolworths are only a few of the big names, so Heathcotes Grill and Bar is not alone.”

He said all five full-time staff had been offered posts within the restaurant group or with his outside catering company, Heathcotes Outside.

The Longridge Restaurant, Longridge and Heathcotes Brasserie and The Olive Press, both in Winckley Square, Preston, will continue to trade as normal.