An East Lancashire pub, which was demolished without planning permission, has been making headlines this week after the owners have been ordered to rebuild it.
Ribble Valley Borough Council has served an enforcement notice on the owners of Hurst Green's Punch Bowl Inn site, stating the building "must be restored to its former state”.
However, were your aware of its haunted history and reputation as one of Lancashire’s most haunted buildings?
The Grade II listed Punch Bowl Inn site was was reduced to a pile of rubble in June, but the spooky stories still persist.
The pub and surrounding area is said to be haunted by Ned King, a 18th century highwayman who terrorised locals in the areas.
In 1739 Dick Turpin and Ned King journeyed up from Essex. They stayed in the pub and used it as a base to hold up carriages on nearby roads.
Turpin left after three days for York, while King stayed.
According to the story, he teamed up with the pub’s landlord, Jonathan Brisco, who would tip off the men who would then lay in way for the visitors as they left the coaching house.
While some details of the story differ slightly, Simon Entwistle, who hosts ghost tours around Lancashire, created a video about the story and said they held up around 14 coaches from 1739-1741.
After an intense shootout he was arrested in the Punch Bowl while Brisco was killed.
King was dragged down the lane and was hanged from a tree outside the pub, his body buried by the side of the road.
However, his spirit is still said to haunt the site and people have reported hearing knives and forks "jangling together" in the kitchen.
In his video, Simon said: “Ghost sightings have taken place not only in the Punch Bowl, but on the road leading from the pub to the Mitton cross roads.”
Simon also spoke to a former landlady, Margaret McGuinness, to see if she had experienced anything “ghostly”.
She said: “It was either Brisco or Ned himself took a glass from the top shelf and placed it on the floor.
“It was placed gently, but enough for us to hear.
“We have also had doors banging. It doesn’t matter what time of day it is, Ned and Jonathan are always there showing us that they are behind the bar.”
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