A VILLAGE business has reopened to customers - with plans in place to construct additional retail space .

The business on the A35 at Winterborne Abbas was closed last year and was subsequently sold to South West forecourt operators, Chartman Retail.

Chartman are an independent group, and was awarded the forecourt of the year accolade in 2015 at the national Retail Industry Awards.

Former Weymouth Grammar School pupils Clive Sheppard and John Hartstone from Chartman, hope to restore the business to "it's former glory".

Mr Sheppard said: "The company has grown to become the largest independent fuel station operator in the South West, with locations spanning four counties.

"We always retained memories of the Winterbourne Abbas site being a busy location in its heyday, and we were delighted to secure the purchase of the site with a view to restoring it to it’s former glory."

He added: "Chartman has secured planning approval to redevelop the forecourt with a 2000sq ft shop, and work is under way to bring this about, but in the meantime the first step has been taken by restoring fuel supplies, stocking the shop and introducing Costa coffee, where sales alone reached nearly 100 a day just three days after opening."