A DERELICT village pub is set to reopen in October after being shut for more than two years.

The Bay Horse Inn, in Roughlee, has been taken over by landlord Peter Waters, who also runs the Craven Heifer in Kelbrook.

Villagers had been worried that the tavern, at the junction of Pasture Lane and Blacko Bar Road, would be bought by developers and turned into housing.

In April this year, they launched a campaign to persuade Pendle Council to list it as an Asset of Community Value, which would have delayed any sale to a developer.

But Mr Waters and fellow director Christopher Whitwam stepped in and bought the pub from Scottish and Newcastle and intend to refurbish it.

County Councillor Christian Wakeford, for Pendle West, lives in the village and worked in the pub when he was younger.

He said: “It’s great news. I can’t think of anything better for the village and I’m really looking forward to it being open again.

“We’ve been waiting for two-and-a-half-years for this.”

Real ale expert Mark Briggs, a contributor to the Lancashire Telegraph’s Cheers column, has been to visit the pub with a surveyor who is helping Mr Waters with the reopening.

He said: “It’s got a lot of attractive features going for it, including wonderful big windows.

“The Craven Heifer has done very well with its gastropub approach and I think we can expect the same here, perhaps with a more traditional pub feel.”

The pub, which sits on the banks of Pendle Water, has historically been a focal point for villagers but several recent owners have struggled to make it a viable business.