ONE of the North West’s top butchers is returning to his home town to open a market stall at the new Blackburn Market.

Mark Duckworth, who started his career on the town’s market as a 17-year-old, has run a successful business in Kirkby Lonsdale for 12 years.

He is currently the regional winner of ‘Britain’s star sausage’ and holds three other prizes for his black pudding, pork pie and ‘cold eating pie’.

Blackburn’s £8million market development, in the ground floor of the Mall shopping centre extension, will open on Wednesday, June 1.

Of the 126 stalls, 89 traders have now signed up, 71 per cent of the total.

Of those 89, around three-quarters will be in place on the opening day, meaning it will be around half-full.

Council bosses said that ‘interest is still very high’ and are confident it will fill up over the coming months.

On site, so far, there will be 10 serviced food stalls, eight cafes, seven mini-shops, 44 non-food (gifts and cards, health and beauty, fashion, speciality etc) and 20 food (cheese, fruit and veg etc).

Mr Duckworth, 40, who grew up in the Infirmary area of Blackburn, is a regular exhibitor at the Lancashire food festival and said he was keen to gain a presence in the area.

His stall will be called Dales Award Winning Speciality Sausages and Pies and will be run by members of his family.

He said: “Every year we have customers asking where they can buy our produce locally because to go to Kirkby Lonsdale would be a two-hour round trip.

"The plans for our stall will be to sell hot and cold pies, sausages and our homemade baked black pudding which are all made in our shop in Kirkby Lonsdale.”

Last year Mr Duckworth was the North West regional winner of Britain's Star Sausage with a Pork and Haggis sausage as judged by Strictly Come Dancing's Craig Revel Horwood.

An official launch of the market is expected to take place in July, which would coincide with the first anniversary of the £66million shopping centre opening.