Hotel at the centre of Corrie's most dramatic storyline goes up for sale

The hotel famous for being the place where a notorious Coronation Street villain stayed at is up for sale.

The Strand Hotel on North Promenade has been put on the market by its owners who want to spend more time with their family.

The Strand has its own “blue plaque” outside to commemorate it as the place that Rita Fairclough was staying at when evil Alan Bradley came to drag her back to Coronation Street after stealing from her and victimising her.

Famously he chased Rita down the prom but was hit and killed by a tram.

The episode in December 1989 was watched by almost 27 million viewers and remains one of the iconic in the programme’s history.

Now owner Jane Long, who has been at the Strand since 2003,has put it on the market with a guide price of £825,000.

The hotel, which has 33 en-suite bedrooms and employs 17, has undergone massive refurbishment and was one of the first boutique-style venues in the resort.

Jane said: “I love this place and it is real heart-wrenching decision but we have a little girl now and it is important to spend time with your family instead of working all hours.

“We have put so much into the hotel. When we got it we were closed for a year refurbishing it, with rain-showers in every en-suite, flat screen TV and the first to have Freeview in every room, kingsized beds.

“The Coronation Street episode is so well known. We still get people staying here wanting to stay in Rita’s room and we have the memorabilia.

“The plaque was put on in 2009 and it was unveiled by actor Mark Eden who played Alan Bradley and we raised £1,500 for Donna’s Dreamhouse.

“Last summer Alan Bradley’s Coronation Street daughter Jenny came back to Blackpool to visit the place where he died and they filmed a bit outside the hotel.”

Jane revealed that last year she had a baby girl, Scarlett Summer, with husband Arron and they decided that they needed to spend more time with her.

“It is a difficult decision, when I was taking the agent round I was thinking ‘I really love this place and don’t want to leave’ but with my daughter her now the time has come.”