A generations-old family business hopes to breathe new life into Leigh's famous cockle sheds with the creation of an upmarket seafood restaurant.

Kershaws Quality Foods, at 1 Cockle Sheds, High Street, has applied to Southend Council for planning permission to carry out the alterations.

Kershaws general manager Andrew Rattley said he believed a restaurant and takeaway would complement the existing facilities in the historic area.

He said: "Old Leigh is famous for its shellfish and for the maritime tradition which has existed in the town for centuries.

"We are proposing to sell a wide range of hot and cold seafood, both for the restaurant and takeaway.

"Kershaws are internationally known for their seafood and this will be yet another facility available."

Mr Rattley said rather than destroy the character of the landmark sheds, he believed the plan would revitalise them and draw new visitors.

He said: "Seafood has always been sold from our premises since the business was founded by Edwin and Margaret Kershaw, but now we are looking at expanding with something different.

"It won't mean the end of old Leigh and the cockle industry, as we are an integral part of it ourselves and we want it to carry on for the next 100 years."

If planning permission is granted, the company hopes the new restaurant will be open within a year.

Leigh Lib Dem councillor Peter Wexham, who has been involved with the old town and its cockle industry all his life, welcomed the proposals.

He said he believed a classy restaurant would support the seafood industry in the Old Town and also encourage more people to spread out from the hub of the High Street.

Mr Wexham said: "It could add a new dimension to the town."