THE pub chain Wetherspoon confirmed this week that it has bought the historic Foley Arms Hotel on Great Malvern town centre.

The hotel closed suddenly in January by its owner, Allied Investment Partners. Staff and manager Nigel Thomas staged a sit-in until staff were properly paid off.

Since then, the Worcester Road hotel, which dates back to Georgian times, has been empty and boarded up.

But this week, a spokesman for the J D Wetherspoon pub chain confirmed that the sale of the building had been completed and it was the new owner.

However, no indication was given as to when work will begin on the building or when it will reopen as a business.

Wetherspoon is best known for its pubs, but it also owns a number of hotels, with examples in Tewkesbury, Monmouth and Bewdley.