A PUB and a nightclub will reopen in Basildon next week after being upgraded

The Beehive pub on Southernhay closed for refurbishment early in August and will reopen on Wednesday, 7 August.

Its sister nightclub, the gay venue previously known as Colours, which adjacent on Southernhay, will reopen under a new name - 'The Loft' - the following day.

The cost for the double renovation has been put at £500,000.

The Beehive will open from 8am every day serving pub food including breakfasts.

Its general manager Sarah Gage said: "This is an exciting time for and we are so pleased to see our amazing venue almost ready to open again.

"This refurbishment brings the pub into 2022 with a fresh new look.

"This is a great pub for families and friends to meet up. For us it's all about bringing the local people together as an all-day community pub, and nightlife venue."

The reopening of the Beehive comes in the same month that the nearby Wetherspoons venue, the Moon and Square will close. It is to be replaced, subject to planning permission, by a new Wetherspoons elsewhere in the town centre in due course.