THREE friends have opened a new pizza store in Westhoughton on the same day national lockdown restrictions came to an end.

Matthew Oliver, Mitchel Ellor and Daniel Mcguire opened the doors of FireAway Westhoughton on Wednesday afternoon.

The site, opposite the market, is the third location the trio have opened in the last year, with similar stores in Rochdale and Bury.

Mr Oliver said: “We’re all up and running now so we’re happy, it was quite an overwhelming evening, we were very busy.

“We came to Westhoughton because we were looking for a third location – we started off in Rochdale, opened a store in Bury a few months ago, and one of our business partners is from around here and said it’d be the perfect place.

“So we all came to have a look around, went into the market for a milkshake, and then we discovered this unit was empty – it’s perfect, we really were in the right place at the right time.

“The support and positive reviews so far have been absolutely amazing, it was lovely to see so many friendly, happy faces. It was amazing to see the community of Westhoughton at its best supporting the new local business.”

So far, the trio have only operated during lockdown – with their first store opening in March.

With delivery demands increasing during the first national lockdown, they saw record sales across the FireAway brand, a franchise with many successful outlets in London.

Their Bury site, on Bolton Road, opened two months ago, and has been a big hit.

After just one day of trading at their newest store, Mr Oliver was thankful for the warm welcome they received.

The shop is open from noon every day, with last orders at 9.30pm Sunday to Thursday, and 10.30pm Friday and Saturday.