Apprenticeship opportunities at a newly-refurbished auto services centre in Bury St Edmunds have been welcomed by the borough mayor.

STS Tyre Pros in Tayfen Road, which besides tyres and wheel alignment offers exhausts, brakes, servicing and MoT testing, has officially reopened following invesment including a new reception area.

The branch was selected for the work from among the network of more than 40 STS Tyre Pros centres in recognition of its performance and potential demand in the area.

Julia Wakelam, the mayor of St Edmundsbury, who cut a ribbon to mark the opening, said: “The borough is delighted that STS Tyre Pros has shown its faith in Bury St Edmunds by selecting the branch for refurbishment with all the latest technology and equipment.

“This is a significant investment in the town and will, I am sure, be good news for local motorists.”

She added:“I am also very pleased that there’s an apprenticeship scheme in place to give young people a helping hand by creating jobs and giving them some valuable career skills. I hope young people in the area will see the benefit and apply for the programme.”

Chris Gathercole, manager at the centre, said: “It’s given the staff a real boost that our hard work has been recognised, and that our centre has been given major investment.

“All the team at the Bury St Edmunds branch take great pride in our work and now we have a working environment that matches our ambition to deliver the best possible service.

“It’s also good news for the community because we are now armed with top of the range equipment that will allow us to serve our customers even better than before. We are all really excited and can’t wait to get going.”