Canadian restaurant chain Tim Hortons is looking to expand its UK portfolio with an eatery in Ipswich, it is understood.

Plans for a new eatery – in place of the Pizza Hut restaurant at Anglia Retail Park – have been submitted to Ipswich Borough Council.

The plans seek approval to add new signage to the building and introduce a new drive-thru lane, and are pending consideration.

A much-loved chain in Canada, Tim Hortons was founded by former Toronto Maple Leafs hockey player Tim Horton in 1964 and now has more than 4,000 locations worldwide.

It currently has 28 locations across the UK and is known for serving food such as chicken burgers and paninis, as well as doughnuts and milkshakes.

A spokesman for Tim Hortons was unwilling to discuss the plans.

Representatives from Pizza Hut have not confirmed when the restaurant closed, it was not one of the sites included in the list of 29 locations nationwide announced for closure last year.

Under lockdown rules all restaurants are currently closed but the chain's branch at Copdock interchange remains open for collection, while takeaway outlets in Foxhall Road and Norwich Road are also open for delivery.

Plans for a new Burger King restaurant at the retail park were also approved last year, following an application by Ipswich Borough Council's commercial arm, Ipswich Borough Assets.