LANDMARK roadside restaurant Little Chef has closed at Mirfield.

The iconic signs of Fat Charlie and the familiar branding were taken down on Wednesday after more than 25 years at the Leeds Road site.

The restaurant is one of 67 of the chain’s 161 sites to close in a move expected to lead to the loss of between 500 and 600 jobs.

The company refused to comment on individual restaurants but a joint statement reads: “Although the decision to close the sites was not taken lightly, it was essential to complete this action in order to allow the company to focus its capital resources on developing the remaining portfolio of sites, introducing the New Concept which has been highly successful and targeting new sites.”

Little Chef became a favourite in the UK after its first restaurant opened in Reading in 1958.

The company, which served more than 20 million customers a year at its peak, began to suffer from the push for healthier eating and competition from other roadside restaurants.

But attempts to give the chain a more healthy image by slimming down the famous Fat Charlie in its logo were scrapped after a storm of protest.