A Derby company is investing almost £2 million to create the first self-storage facility in Long Eaton, Derbyshire, England.

BE Webbe has bought two adjoining premises with plans of conjoining them into one property dedicated to storage.

Both premises have been empty for several months, but will now have a new lease of life because of the increasingly popular trend of using self storage, said a spokesman.

Extensive work is required to both buildings. Refurbishing and fitting-out costs will be in the region of £1.2 million on top of the purchase costs.

The building will house 46,000 square feet of self-storage in self-contained steel units ranging from 20 square feet to 400 square feet. The units will be used for items including furniture, files, garage and garden equipment. The facility is slated to open by April 2009.