THE Hollywood Star pub, in Burnley, which was destroyed by fire could be ready reopen by the end of March.

A spokeswoman for Punch Retail Group said: "At the moment we are hoping the pub will reopen at the end of March, but essential structural repairs have been hindered by weather.

"We were trying to put the roof on before Christmas but first we had rain and then we had snow, In order to out the roof on it has to be dry."

The pub next door to the Apollo cinema in Hollywood Park, off Manchester Road, has been closed since October, when food under the grill caught fire and the blaze spread to the whole of the middle section, bringing down the roof over the kitchen, bar and restaurant areas.

The spokeswoman said staff had been offered work in alternative premises and those who had to be laid off would be re-employed once the pub reopened.