A site in Helston that was to become a 'pasty drive through' will be returning to its roots after being sold to a Longrock-based car sales company.

Chris Nicholls Motors bought the Hilltop Garage site at the top of Sithney Common Hill last Friday and plans to expand the business into more of West Cornwall.

The 2.25 acre site, which was previously run as the Ward’s Vauxhall dealership, will become a showroom and workshops for the company, offering repairs, servicing and at a later date MOTs.

Owner Chris Nicholls, who worked for Flora Motors in the town for nearly 20 years before setting up his own business, described it as “a natural expansion,” adding: “The opportunity came up for the Helston site. I’m very familiar with the area and the geographics of it should attract customers from Falmouth, Hayle and the Lizard Peninsula.

“Being that we’re independent we’ll be able to offer a selection of cars that are probably not for sale at the moment. It will give customers greater choice and hopefully more competition means better deals for them.”

The second site means the creation of three immediate jobs, with another two people to be recruited shortly.

All sales of second hand cars will be handled by Trevor Angove, a former community police officer for Porthleven.

“The response from people in the area has been nothing but positive. They’re pleased to see the site being used in a positive way,” added Mr Nicholls.

The company announced the purchase on its Facebook page, describing it as a “fantastic acquisition.”

It added: “Our Penzance site will continue unaffected and will also benefit from the extra stock capacity.

“Thank you to all our hard working colleagues making this possible.”

The opening date will be announced in due course.