THE owner of Little Chef has quashed rumours that it is about to abolish the brand.

TLLC Group Holdings is selling stand-alone restaurants, but keeping those that are next to hotels, such as the one on the Turnpike roundabout on the A419.

It said: "Little Chef is one of the best-known brand names in the restaurant sector, attracting more than 20 million loyal customers a year to its unique network of UK roadside restaurants.

"Little Chef still enjoys 90 per cent name recognition among the public.

"There has been substantial interest in Little Chef from a variety of UK and international companies, however, the process is at too early a stage to comment further.

"What is clear is that there is a widely held belief in the value of the Little Chef brand."