A COMMUNITY radio station dreamed up by Bolton comedian Peter Kay for his hit TV show Phoenix Nights has received a licence to broadcast from industry regulator Ofcom.

Peter Kay fans are used to hearing Chorley FM being constantly lampooned.

Now listeners will be able to make up their own minds once it actually begins broadcasting.

Chorley FM has received a five-year licence to broadcast around- the-clock to the local community.

"The radio station that inspired Peter Kays imagination is now a reality and will be coming soon to Chorley people,"said station boss Christian Moss. Phoenix Nights co-star Dave Spikey is a station patron.

The fictional Chorley FM developed a life of its own in Kays shows, That Peter Kay Thing and Phoenix Nights.

The comic sells T-shirts and car stickers bearing the station's name.

A station spokeswoman said Peter Kay had been unaware the real station existed.

"We got in touch with him and he was quite amused,"she said.

Dave Spikey, fellow Phoenix Nights star, said it was a great chance for Chorley people to "showcase their talents on the airwaves and really get involved in the cultural life of the town".

The council-backed station, which has previously broadcast using short-term licences, is now looking for volunteers to help run it and renovate a training studio in Chorley Community Centre.

Chris Mellor, cultural services manager for Chorley Borough Council, said: "The radio station will help to promote Chorley's distinctiveness and raise our artistic profile, too long in the shadow of oversized Bolton comedians."

The station aims to provide a service for Chorley's young people between the ages of 15 and 25.