A NATIONAL chain of coffee shops will be serving up a treat for residents of two South Somerset towns.

Costa, which has thousands of chains across the country, officially opened its new store in Falkland’s Square in Crewkerne last weekend at a ceremony attended by a host of local dignitaries.

Now, as the froth settles, the firm is gearing up to open its next chain, on Fore Street in Chard this coming weekend.

The new stores will create 10 new jobs in the area, and boast the usual Costa coffee making facilities, plus free wi-fi, large sofa areas and outside seating areas.

Cllr Robin Pailthorpe, mayor of Crewkerne, officially opened the new store on Saturday.

He said: “I am delighted to be opening the new Costa coffee store here in Crewkerne.

“The new Costa will not only create new jobs but will also provide another great reason for local people to visit our town.

“I wish store manager Liam Townsend and his staff every success.”

The new 1,500 square foot store will be managed by Liam Townsend, who has previously worked at several other Costa coffee shops in Devon including Seaton and Exmouth.

Mr Townsend: “The new Costa Coffee will become a focal point for people visiting Crewkerne to come and experience great coffee in a friendly and relaxed environment.

“The whole team is looking forward to welcoming the people of Crewkerne to our new Costa, which we hope will quickly become a key part of the local community.”

Now, all thoughts will be on this weekend’s opening of the Chard store, which is also 1,500 square feet.

It will be officially opened by town mayor Cllr Dave Bulmer, and the store will be managed by Jack Price, who has worked for the company for three and a half years and most recently worked as assistant manager in the Sidmouth Costa.

In total the new store will create seven new jobs in the town.

Matt Coulthard, Costa’s operations nanager, added: “We’re delighted to be opening two brand new Costa’s in the local area within a week of each other.

“We look forward to welcoming local residents and visitors to enjoy the Costa experience with us. Our stores in the surrounding towns are so popular we wanted to bring our great coffee and service even closer to the people of Crewkerne and Chard.”