A BURGER chain has confirmed it will not be opening a restaurant outlet in Worcester's £20m Cathedral Square plaza.

Byron Burger has issued a statement saying "as a result of the restructuring process, we regret that plans to open a Byron in Worcester will no longer go ahead."

The long running saga originally began when property firm Salmon Harvester announced Byron was set to open in a unit in the square. Bright and colourful Byron branded boards went on display at the front of the unit, and have remained there since the plaza opened last July.

Last year the first reports emerged that Byron was financially stricken due to increased competition, that caused a slump in sales growth. In October a spokesman from the firm stressed that, despite this, Byron was still on course to move into the allocated unit.

But earlier this year the gourmet burger company made national headlines after it revealed accountancy firm KPMG revealed Byron was set to close up to 20 restaurants nationally as part of a financial rescue proposal, under a Company Voluntary Agreement, to allow it to continue to trade. At the time the planned city outlet was rumoured to be one of 20 on an “at risk of closure” list, before it had even opened.

And now the firm has officially confirmed the outlet won't be opening.

Simon Cope, Byron's chief executive, said: “Byron’s core restaurant business and brand remain strong but the market that we operate in has changed profoundly.

"With the support of our new owners, our creditors, landlords and other business partners, I’m confident Byron will able to continue providing our customers with the best burger experience and grow a sustainable and innovative business for the long term.”