The final phase of work in a £1.2 million village pub restoration project has been approved by Wiltshire Council.

The community of Limpley Stoke, a village in the Avon valley near Bath, has been fighting to save The Hop Pole Inn since 2021.

Over £1 million of the £1.2 million necessary have already been raised and put towards the re-opening.

Wiltshire Council received an application for the third and final phase of work in December 2023 which it has now approved.

The kitchen, toilets and garden will be renewed, and photovoltaic cells are set to improve the sustainability of the venue.

A single letter of objection was received while 13 letters of support were sent to the council.

One read: “This is the final stage of a much-needed upgrade to our community asset, the Hop Pole Inn.

"Previously it was a nightmare for disabled people with a number of different levels making access virtually impossible.

"This will give level access throughout the pub and into the rear garden.

"We need to upgrade the old kitchen facilities and toilet block, there was no disabled loo.

"The garden also needs to be modernised, it has always been on a slope which whilst adding a certain charm was fairly impractical.”