A businessman has pull-ed out of a deal to buy Newent's Gloucester Road petrol station.

The station, owned by Total, closed in the summer after the previous owners ceased trading.

The property caught the eye of Stephen Morgan, who owns the Newtown Cross petrol station, near Ledbury.

Mr Morgan hoped to spend £500,000 refurbishing the Newent garage, including work on the car wash and redesigning the on-site shop. Around six new on-site jobs would have been created.

But this week Mr Morgan said: "Unfortunately, it has fallen through. We couldn't agree terms with Total. The plan may be resurrected, but it's not likely at the moment."

Mr Morgan said one issue that made him reconsider was the fact that adjoining land didn't come with the site, limiting prospects for expansion.

"In some ways it's a good site. But the more you delve into it, you find issues," he said.

News of at least a temporary glitch in the revival of the garage will be met with disappointment by Newent residents.

Last month, when Mr Morgan's intentions were made public, his plans were called "fantastic" by the Newent Chamber of Commerce's vice-chairman, Craig Walker.