A MUCH-LOVED pub rescued from the threat of permanent closure is now set for a huge £370,000 refurbishment to ensure it continues to be successful for years to come.

In 2020, the Bread and Cheese Pub, in London Road, Benfleet, briefly closed when the former owners stepped down but Steve Haslam, who runs several successful pubs, took over.

Now, he has confirmed he has signed a new 15-year lease with Heineken to continue running the pub and a major overhaul will take place.

The pub will close on January 14 for the works, which will see a complete overhaul including a new roof, new internal structure, and an extended garden.

Steve said: “The refurb will start on Monday, and it is a complete strip out of the internals to open up the restaurant inside.

“The centrepiece will be our carvery, which has been running for around three months now, but has been a big, big success.

“The main bar is moving, where there will be a new entrance into it from the garden. There will be a new roof too.

“It is a massive refurbishment, we have got investment to do that, in a joint effort with Heineken. In total, it is about £370,000. We are so excited. We couldn’t have done this without everyone who has support us, we feel we have now become a big part of the community.”

The Bread and Cheese Pub was closed in 2020 as the former owners stepped down.

Mr Haslam decided to “save the pub” and took it over three years ago on a temporary basis but was forced to shut weeks into running the businesses due to the country going into lockdown.

He has since fought through the pandemic, as well as rising costs, and come out the other side, with the pub starting to thrive.

Steve also runs Urban Fresh and the White Horse, both in Ramsden Heath Mr Haslam added: “We only took it over temporarily, and that was always the plan until an operator was found for it.

“But we just fell in love with it. So, three years down the line we have finally agreed terms to be there for the next 15 years.

“We can now finally make the investment because prior to that we couldn’t as we were on a temporary agreement.

“Not only did we manage to save it for three years, we are now making sure it has a long future.”