A PUB in Accrington is set to reopen after hundreds of people signed a petition following its closure.

More than 250 residents joined an online campaign to reopen The Castle pub in Whalley Road, which has currently been boarded up for around two weeks.

However after a period of uncertainty, owners Star Pubs and Bars have announced that they will reopen the venue ‘within a matter of days’.

The landlord of the pub before it shut, Jonathon White, who has been working behind the bar for almost a decade, said he is pleased the pub will reopen after a ‘frustrating’ time.

He said: “It’s the only pub left open in the Milnshaw ward. It’s the last pub on that side of town.

“I cannot believe the support that I’ve had since it has shut. There has been so many nice messages, it has been humbling.

“It’s been a blast working there for the last nine years. It’s been frustrating to see this happen now.

“We weren’t struggling either, we had been doing well. Everyone will be happy to see the pub reopen. It’s excellent news.”

The petition had 271 signatures in support of it, and its aim was to reach 500 signatures, when it would be delivered to the Lancashire Bureau.

However Emma Hancock, who created the petition, is delighted that the pub will now reopen.

She said: “Since I was a little girl I’ve been going there with my family, it’s a lovely pub.

“The landlord is a good friend of mine as well, I just wanted to support him with the petition.”

Star Pubs and Bars, who are based in Edinburgh and part of the Heineken company, has apologised for the time the pub has been shut.

A spokesman for Star Pubs and Bars said: “We would like to apologise for the temporary closure of The Castle and any inconvenience this has caused.

“We are pleased to say that it will reopen within a matter of days in order to continue serving the local community.”