A PUB which closed last week after an electrical fire is expected to re-open late next month.

Landlord Mick Waterman, 36, was taken to Blackburn Royal Infirmary after the blaze at the Globe Inn, Accrington.

Today Mick said the damage was likely to run to around £20,000 as the pool room, where the fire began as the result of an electrical fault on a fan, would need completely refitting.

He said: "I think they are looking to open at the end of September.

"The pool room needs to be re-wired and everything in there, including the electrical items and furnishings, need to be changed.

"It looks like it will cost around £20,000 in all because other rooms will need deodorising and the stock will all have to be replaced as it has been condemned."

Firefighters had to help Mick from the Blackburn Road pub after he became trapped upstairs in the fire early last Thursday morning.

He had been cashing up the till when he heard a loud noise and realised the pool room window had exploded.

He was taken to Blackburn Royal Infirmary where he was treated for shock and smoke inhalation.

Mr Waterman said he was waiting for insurance assessors from Enterprise Inns, which owns the pub, to evaluate the damage and determine when the pub could reopen.