A seven-day premises licence has been granted for the Holiday Inn Express in London Colney, although it is months from completion.

Hertsmere borough council has approved an application to sell alcohol for the multi-storey 86-bedroom hotel, which is still under construction near Colney Fields shopping centre and the M25 slip road.

The authority received no objections to the application, which asked for - and has now received - permission to supply alcohol from 10am until 2am, Monday to Sunday.

Although approved to start from May 16, the hotel’s construction is not yet completed, with a spokeswoman for Holiday Inn Express saying it should “open some time in summer”.