WORK has finally begun on the site of a Verwood pub to end a long-running saga over the plot.

Demolition of the Fayrewood, controversially closed by brewery Hall and Woodhouse at the end of 2005, has begun in the last week.

A convenience store and 12 apartments, with car parking, will be built on the Ringwood Road site.

The application, like many before it, was initially turned down by East Dorset District Council.

But an appeal against the decision was upheld, allowing work to finally begin on the old pub plot.

Blandford architect Western Design will design the apartments.

The long battle for the Fayrewood site began with an application for six houses and eight flats shortly after the closure at the end of 2005.

Residents, angry at the pub shutting in the first place, protested vociferously and a petition against the demolition of more than 350 names was collected.

A temporary reprieve was won when the district council knocked back the application, though the refusal was based on the belief the site could accommodate more than 15 homes. Subsequent applications for more homes, flats and a convenience store have also been turned down.

Last April, the windows of the pub were boarded up, the sign taken down and a security fence erected around the site.