Pub chain Wetherspoon has said that it will not come to Maryport unless there is a population surge.

The company confirmed that it had been offered a lease of the town's former Carlton cinema but had declined.

It will not set up a branch in a town with a population lower than 15,000, a spokesman said.

Maryport’s population is just under 13,000.

The firm made an exception in Keswick, which has a population of around 5,500 but a high tourist population during the summer.

Development UK Northern Ltd, a property developer based in Manchester, bought the Carlton about 18 months ago.

A spokesman said his company has spent “thousands of pounds” bringing the Carlton, a former cinema, into a safe and solid state of repair.

“We have been hampered by the derelict building next door, which I am told is owned by Allerdale council.

“We have had water and pigeons and pigeon droppings infesting the building because of the structure next door.”

An Allerdale spokesman said the council only took official ownership of the building on 20 October 2016 after lengthy Government and legal processes to acquire it.

“While the purchase was going through, the council instructed chartered surveyors to undertake an assessment of the works required once the property was within its ownership. The recommendations in the report are now being reviewed and will be put out to tender as soon as possible.”

A spokeswoman said it was recognised that the property is in state of considerable disrepair as it has been derelict since 2005.

“The immediate course of action will be to address the public health issues to make it safe enough for works to begin. The council is aware the building has had an impact on neighbouring properties, and therefore it has been keen to take it over and begin the works to resolve these problems as quickly as possible.”

She said the council is looking at various options for the longer-term future of the building but work on making it safe will begin as soon as possible.

Develop UK Northern acquired the Carlton 12 months ago.

Originally a cinema and then a bingo hall, the Carlton fell into disrepair and became one of Allerdale’s top 10 eyesores.

In 2008, with investment from the Maryport Townscape Heritage Scheme, it was renovated and taken over by Steve Wood who started a fine china glazing company. When that failed, he ran an indoor market in the building but eventually cut his losses and left.

The building failed to sell at auction in 2014 but was later bought by Maryport businessman and publican George Kemp who said he wanted to turn it into some kind of community or youth centre.

He resold it, however.

Develop UK Northern is a property developer from Altrincham in Greater Manchester which has been buying properties to sell or let for around 15 years.