A Suffolk port is expanding - after snapping up a former Quality Discounts site.

Port of Lowestoft owner Associated British Ports (ABP) said it had completed the purchase of the 1.5 acre site after QD closed its retail store in mid-2022.

It wanted to "improve the vitality of the port-side location", as well as increasing the port's role as "a thriving centre for companies servicing the offshore energy industry", it said.

The site was "strategically located, providing excellent sea and road connectivity, and near Lowestoft town centre", it added.

"This is another important milestone for Lowestoft as it expands its support of the offshore energy sector, and continues to make investments in the port, which supports 1000 jobs in the region," said ABP.

Another port project - the £25m Lowestoft Eastern Energy Facility (LEEF) - would bring "significant upgrades" to marine facilities in Lowestoft’s Harbour, it said.

The port is well placed to support offshore wind sites and support projects such as the planned development of a Direct Air Capture facility for Sizewell C, it added.

Port operations boss Tom Duit said: "We’re delighted to have completed the purchase of the former QD site. ABP’s Port of Lowestoft provides an ideal location as the UK’s most easterly port for accessing the Southern North Sea, which is a centre of expertise for offshore energy production.

"We are looking forward to securing a new tenant of the site in the coming months and for ABP to play a key role in supporting the growth of commercial activities into the area.

"The purchase will also enable ABP to further improve the vitality of the area around Commercial Road through investing in the site."