Fish and chip shop chain Blue Lagoon has created 20 new jobs after opening a new restaurant in Stirling with funding support from Clydesdale Bank.

The family-run firm’s latest outlet is its first outside of its west coast heartland. Last year it opened a restaurant in Ayr and the year before in Largs.

The Stirling site will include a 60-seater restaurant as well as a delivery and takeaway offering.

Blue Lagoon purchased and fully refurbished the premises at 63 Port Street in the heart of Stirling.

Over £600,000 has been invested in the latest expansion project, including funding from Clydesdale Bank. Relationship Manager Thomas McPake from the Bank’s Glasgow Customer Banking Centre facilitated the deal.

The Blue Lagoon chain was founded in the early 1970s by Italian-born Ersilio Varese, and has been passed on to his son Angelo Varese. Angelo’s sons Simone, Alessandro and Gianluca are all directors of the firm.

Now with 12 restaurants across the west of Scotland and Stirling, the family is eyeing further growth.

Angelo Varese said: “We are excited to be opening up our new fish and chip shop in Stirling. We’re always looking for opportunities to expand, and when this site became available, we had to take it.

“The location of our outlets is very important to us. All of our sites are in central areas of large towns with high footfall, so being on the corner of Port Street is ideal for us.

“When we purchased the property it was a pub that had been closed for around a year, so it needed a lot of work to make it fit for purpose.

“We’ve gutted the inside and also taken on some structural work to increase the size of the windows at the front of the premises. We are very happy with the quality of the finish and look forward to meeting our new customers.

“As well as investing in the restaurant, we’re also contributing to the Stirling economy by creating a mixture of 20 full and part-time jobs.

“We felt that Stirling town centre was missing a high-quality fish and chip shop where people could sit down and enjoy a proper fish tea.

“Clydesdale Bank has given our growth plans its full support and the advice offered by Thomas McPake in particular has been invaluable.”

Deyrick Smith, head of Clydesdale Bank’s Customer Banking Centre in Glasgow, said: “Blue Lagoon is a well-established and highly-regarded chain in Glasgow and the west. It’s great to see them move into new markets.

“Clydesdale Bank is proud to support businesses achieve their growth ambitions. We look forward to continuing our relationship with Blue Lagoon as they look to expand further.”