PUB chain Wetherspoon's have pulled out of plans to open in Darwen in a bombshell described as a "major disappointment" for the town.

The national group, which owns Blackburn's Postal Order and The Brun Lea, Burnley, submitted a planning application to transform the Somerfield supermarket in Church Street in November.

But Wetherspoon's today revealed they pulled the plans just weeks before the members of Blackburn with Darwen's planning committee were due to begin a public consultation over the proposals.

Coun Paul Browne, leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, said: "This makes me sick because it would have been a great thing for Darwen and the rival pubs would have had to have dropped their prices to compete with it.

"We would have had more people coming into the town and more jobs would have been created, generating more money for Darwen.

"It's a big disappointment for us and I really think they should have stayed here."

Eddie Gershon, spokesman for Wetherspoon's, said: "Around one week ago we decided that we were going to open less pubs this year. The plan was to open 80 but we will now open 60.

"In some places the property prices are too high but this is not the case in Darwen itself. We cannot give a good answer as to why Darwen was dropped from the list. I think that Darwen was one of those towns we could afford to lose at this present moment in time."

"We do want to be in the town and we will come back to Darwen at a later stage, maybe next year."

Founded in 1979, the chain has opened 620 pubs across the UK and is widely recognised for its focus on food and drink, with no music in any of its pubs.

The chain said it had been thinking of developing a pub in Darwen for nearly two years but the nearest pub to be developed in the area this year will be in Accrington.