McDonald's is aiming to set up a new drive-thru restaurant in Leek, the fast food giant has confirmed.

A planning application was recently submitted to the district council for "Erection of freestanding restaurant with drive-thru facility" in Leek.

However, the application is currently marked as "invalid" on the Staffordshire Moorlands District Council website, meaning it has not yet been validated by the council, and no supporting documents are currently available.

But McDonald's confirmed today in a statement that they are indeed hoping to open a restaurant in Leek.

The burger chain says its new branch would create well over 100 jobs in the town if it is given permission to open.

A spokesperson for McDonald's told Nub News: "We can confirm we have submitted a planning application in relation to a new drive thru restaurant in Leek.

"If our application is successful, the new restaurant will bring significant investment to the area and create at least 120 jobs for the local community."

The planning application's full proposal is for: "Erection of freestanding restaurant with drive-thru facility, car parking, landscaping and associated works, including Customer Order Displays (COD) and Play Frame."

The site of the new McDonald's would be at Churnet Works, Abbey Green Road, which is in the same place as the town's Sainsbury's supermarket.

The application now sits with Staffordshire Moorlands District Council who will need to validate it before making a final decision on whether to approve it further down the line.

The application comes amid several hopes to open fast food chains in Leek. There are currently plans to open a drive-thru restaurant - thought to be Tim Hortons - on Mill Street, whereas another restaurant "focussing on chicken products" was planned for Broad Street, although neither of these have yet been approved.