A motorway service station in Somerset is reopening after a £5million extension, bringing with it 70 new jobs.

The Sedgemoor services, which is run by Roadchef and is based off the southbound carriageway of the M5, was partially closed for several months during the redevelopment.

It is now open for business with a range of new restaurants and shops, including a Costa, Fresh Food Café, McDonald’s and a Spar, which will have an in-store bakery.

It is hoped the revamp, which included renovating the toilets, will bring in tens of thousands of customers a week, so the company has decided to hire dozens of new staff members to cope with the demand.

The chief executive of Roadchef Simon Turl said: “We’re delighted to have fully reopened Sedgemoor South.

“The site is hugely popular among motorists travelling to the West Country, especially during the forthcoming busy summer holiday period.

“Our brand new restaurants and shops, extended seating areas and refurbished toilet facilities will enable us to provide an even better service to our customers.

“We believe that the investment we have made at the site will prove to be hugely popular, hence why we have introduced 70 new positions at the site to cater for the increased footfall.”

The service station, which is between junctions 21 and 22, will serve an average of 40,000 customers a week.