A POPULAR Christchurch pub is set to reopen three months after it was badly damaged in a tumble dryer fire.

An area of Stanpit was cordoned off in October as firefighters tackled a blaze at the Ship in Distress pub – and it has been shut ever since.

But owner Maggie Wheeler has now confirmed the bar will be open again on Friday and Saturday this week.

“We’ve had a refurb so it’s looking really nice,” she said. “It will be good to see our customers again.”

She added that the bar will then be open in the evenings from around 4pm, and on weekends, while repairs continue on the roof during the rest of the working week.

She told the Daily Echo it had been a “tough three months since the fire” and that her staff are “looking forward to being back in business”.

Ms Wheeler said she hopes the restaurant will be reopened in time for Valentine’s Day.

Shortly after the blaze, Dorset Fire and Rescue Service’s incident commander at the scene said that if a smoke detector had been installed in the laundry room, then crews would have reached the fire more quickly and consequently “far less damage” sustained.

Another Christchurch pub, Ye Olde George Inn, remains shut after closing suddenly earlier this month.

An ex-employee told the Echo that staff had been paid and given their p45s by co-owner Rob Martin, but have received no further explanation about the reasons for the closure.

The former staff member said Mr Martin had also "disappeared" from Facebook and he has not responded to the Daily Echo's efforts to contact him.

The bar, situated in Castle Street, was leased to Mr Martin and Paul Goldsack by Enterprise Inns.

The Echo asked Enterprise Inns’ head of communication, Emma Curwood, whether new tenants were being sought and if any further information could be supplied about the pub’s closure.

Despite initially stating she would provide the information requested, Ms Curwood failed to comment further.