A pub in Blackburn has reopened and the new manager wants it to be a go-to boozer for people in the community.

The Royal Oak, on Royal Oak Avenue, closed its doors on January 6 and the previous owners said it the decision to do so “had not been taken lightly”.

The pub reopened on January 20 and the new manager Liam Inman says he can’t wait to show everyone the pub’s potential.

Liam said: “The pub has a lot of potential and we want to get it back to where it should be.

“It’s also great to reopen a pub when so many are closing.

“It is a a nice, small pub and we wanted to take over as it’s important to keep a community pub like this going.

“We can’t wait to embed ourselves in the community and get to know the customers really well.”

Liam said the punters have welcomed new management.

He said: “The punters are really happy that we have taken over. They just want their pub back don’t they?

“If we didn’t reopen some of the regulars would have had to travel elsewhere, to a pub filled with people they don’t know.”

Once the January lull is over, Liam and the team plan to serve food at the pub and are also in the process of planning live music and open mic nights.

He said: “We are getting things up and running at first and getting people used to the fact that we are back open.

“We are planning to do food in the near future.

“We are excited for the future and are confident that we can succeed despite the tough financial times”

The previous owners of the pub announced its closure in December.

In a Facebook post they said: “It is with deepest regret and this decision has not been taken lightly, but after some consideration we have decided that our time at the Royal Oak will be coming to an end, our last day will be Friday January 6.

“We would like to thank all of our staff past and present for the hard work you put in to working here with us.

We would also like to thank all our customers and friends for your continued support throughout our time at the Royal Oak! We appreciate each of you.

“We will be having a leaving party where we will celebrate our time being here at the Royal Oak and we hope you can all make it!

“We have loved every second of being in the pub and will miss it very much.”