AN Ellesmere Port pub has been forced to delay its reopening due to the severity of the damage caused by flooding earlier this year.

The Chimneys in Hooton had hoped to welcome back customers on May 17 when the latest Covid-19 lockdown restrictions are set to ease.

However, the pub now expects to reopen in late July.

Posting on its Facebook page, The Chimneys said: "Unfortunately we are having to delay the re-opening of our beautiful pub!

"We would have loved to have been able to open our doors once again on May 17th, however the damage from the flood is more severe than we first imagined.

"Nevertheless our team and contractors are working hard behind the scenes to fulfil a total remodel of our building, bringing you an even better Chimneys experience when complete.

"Our plan for re-opening will hopefully be late July but we will keep everyone posted!"