JD Wetherspoon is to open its first licensed bar and restaurant on the motorway network. The new facility will open - by Christmas - at Extra’s Motorway Service Area on the M40 (junction 2) at Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire.

Wetherspoon has been granted permission to operate 24 hours a day (the company has yet to finalise its opening hours). The licence allows it to serve alcohol from 8am until 1am seven days a week.

Prior to the lodging of the premises licence application, Wetherspoon representatives met with Thames Valley Police and South Bucks District Council to outline their plans. No representations on the application were received.

Wetherspoon and Extra are jointly set to invest more than £2 million on the development, creating 50 jobs.

Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin said: “We are looking forward to opening our first licensed bar and restaurant on the motorway network. The company has always been innovative and this is an exciting new development for us.

“Hopefully it will be the first of many Wetherspoon’s on the motorway.”

Andrew Long, CEO of Extra MSA Group, said: “Extra continues to invest in further improvements to its chain of MSAs and is committed to providing increased choice and competition for all customers on the motorway network.

“We are pleased to be working closely with JD Wetherspoon as an important new edition to Extra’s substantial complementary range of major and popular Tenant partner brands.”

Wetherspoon’s will serve food, coffee and other hot drinks, together with a wide range of non-alcoholic drinks at all times.

The licence was granted by South Bucks District Council Licensing Authority.