A blessing ceremony has taken place at the start of work on the biggest Indian restaurant in Keighley.

The service, including recitations from the Qur'an and led by senior members of the Muslim community, took place at the former Brooks Building, in Albert Street, which will be transformed into the new site of the Balti House.

Work has now started on the former wool store to convert it into the 300-seat restaurant, with sweeping stairways, a balcony and French windows.

A new entrance will be built on to the Scott Street car park, with the current Albert Street front of the building maintained and used as an ancillary access.

The ceremony was attended by restaurant owner Mohammed Zamir, architectural consultants, Nick Lajszczuk and Andrew Kaminski, Bradford councillor Lynne Joyce, Keighley town Mayor Cllr Allan Rhodes and other members from the Muslim community.

Mr Zamir said: "We have been in Russell Street for a decade now and it was one of the first Balti houses in Yorkshire. It is time now that we need to move to bigger premises and to one with access for the disabled.

"We will create about seven or eight more jobs and we are investing this for people in Keighley and the surrounding area.

"It will bring more life to this part of the town."

The Balti House can only cater for 80 people at the moment.

It had initially been intended to open the new restaurant by Christmas but due to planning obstacles that have now been overcome it is hoped to be ready by Easter.

Mr Zamir added the new restaurant would cater for conferences, weddings and other parties, as well as having the capability to do outside catering.

Mr Lajszczuk said: "It is local jobs, a local project, a local business. Everything will be done by local firms. This is quite a good project. The building has been vacant for a number of years -- tramps have been sleeping rough in there, pigeons have been living in there and someone has even tried to set fire to it.

"Because of the new Wetherspoon's pub, the surgery around the corner and the library celebrations, this is another project that will bring vibrancy, life and jobs to this area of the town.

"It is an exciting project because it will be the biggest restaurant in Keighley," he said.

As well as a wool store, the building has previously been a chapel and had been used by the Highfield Muslim Community Association until it could not afford to maintain it.

Mr Lajszczuk added that his firm, Eye-4-design, had worked with the owners of the Balti House for their Baildon restaurant.