Crack open the vodka ... it's a pub for the Poles

They are set to have their own university in West London - so it is fitting that the Polish community should also have its own pub.

The Belvedere will welcome its first regulars next month, serving specialities such as Zubrowka vodka and placki ziemniaczane (potato fritter).

And its name will resonate with Poles. Not only is Belvedere a well-known vodka but it is also the name of a palace in Warsaw where the composer Chopin performed.

The local in Acton, West London, is being launched by leisure chain Laurel.

It is thought to be the first Polish pub opened by a major UK operator - following the hundreds of Polish-themed bars and restaurants that have sprung up in Britain since the former communist state joined the EU in 2004.

News of its opening comes after an announcement that a university in the Polish city of Lodz is launching an annexe in Shepherd's Bush, West London.

The Academy of Humanities is sending 12 lecturers.