A hotel in one of the UK's top seaside resorts deemed 'unsafe' by the council is getting a glitzy facelift - themed around one of s favourite sit-coms. The OYO Blarney Stone in 's famous South Shore, near South Pier and the Pleasure Beach, was slapped with a prohibition notice over electrical wiring and structural concerns.

But now manager William Thomas has said the notice came as the hotel was already undergoing a long-awaited TV-style facelift - ready for a "fresh start". Soon the 12-room hotel will reopen as the 'Benipool Solano Style Hotel' - named after the Solana Resort Benidorm, the backdrop for the 10-series ITV sitcom.

The ITV comedy, starring Sheridan Smith, Tim Healy and Johnny Vegas, is about the lives of a group of ex-pats living in the Costa Blanca resort.

Excited Mr Thomas hopes the homage to the ITV show - that aired from 2007-2018 - will bring some extra fun, glitz and glamour to South Shore.

He said: "I accept what the council is saying, we have not been open to the public all this time and no one has been at risk. I am working with Blackpool Council to make sure everything is fine when we open in the next few weeks.

"They have found some electrical faults and we agree that should be sorted out and the work is being done. It's the same with the ceiling issue in the cellar.

"I'm not a bad operator and in fact the hotel will be changing its name when it reopens and will have a fresh start."

The council notice cites four areas of concern - electrical hazards, fire safety issues, structural collapse and food safety. Mr Thomas stressed the Blarney Stone was not open at the time the order was made.

An Emergency Prohibition Order (EPO) is a legal action taken by a local housing authority to immediately prohibit the use of a residential property (or part of it) when a category 1 hazard exists and poses an imminent risk of serious harm to the health or safety of the occupants.

Mr Thomas said no-one had been put at risk because the hotel had not been opened and added he agreed with the council action and was working with it "to make sure everything is fine when we open in the next few weeks".

Blackpool Council said: "The enforcement notices will not be revoked until the property is made safe. Planning enforcement officers will also investigate the use of the property."

ITV's Benidorm was a ratings hit and saw a string of household names starring across its 74 episodes.

The Solana is the hotel featured in the show, where most of the characters stay. The pool scenes are filmed at the Sol Pelicanos Ocas Hotel in Benidorm, and the room scenes are filmed in the Acuariam II Apartments (which overlook the pool).

The show's reception area and the salon is filmed in a studio set in a building opposite Benidorm Palace, known as "The Pink House".

Earlier this month comedy legend Crissy Rock teased that could make an epic comeback, eight years after the show last aired - and she has a brilliant idea for a huge storyline involving her character, Solana manager Janey Yorke.

Speaking exclusively to , the 66-year-old Liverpudlian said: "I've heard that the show could come back and I think that it would be brilliant if they did bring it back.

"But I can't say much, but I would love it to happen. It's up to the writer, and I think that you couldn't say half of the things now. You'd have to be politically correct, so would it be the same?"

Throwing her ideas into the mix, she added: "I think it would be fab if Janey Yorke and Joyce Temple-Savage got back and locked horns over who was managing the Solana. That would be good, wouldn't it? Because they hated each other."

The star then reflected on her former co-stars, including and Siobhan Finneran, who played the roles of Mick and Janice Garvey.

Crissy said: "The full cast, all of them, were brilliant. We had a lovely time. I think it was so popular because people could relate to the characters. They all knew someone that was like that. They could relate to the people who were on the programme."