Window-smashing yobs could delay grand reopening of Cleveleys pub
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The Jubilee Park pub on North Promenade in Cleveleys was left empty after it shut down when lockdown began.
It was taken over in June by Michael Reynolds, 69, and his wife Alison, who hoped to reopen it as "The Jubilee" on Tuesday August 3.
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Hide AdHowever, Mr Reynolds, a former flooring fitter and hotelier who moved from Hornby Road in Blackpool to Cleveleys to take over the pub, said the opening may need to be postponed.
Two of the pub windows have been smashed in the past week, and replacement panes could take "up to six weeks" to arrive.
Mr Reynolds could not pinpoint the culprit, but believed the damage to have been caused by youngsters after finding "a big group" of children hanging around the pub.
He said: "We've got someone coming to replace the glass which had already been smashed on the windows which had been boarded up before we moved in. But for the other windows which were smashed they said it could take up to six weeks. We're not sure how to get around it.
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Hide Ad"It happened twice, once must have been when we were out a couple of days ago so we're not sure about the time. But yesterday (July 26) we were in the building at the time it happened.
"We heard a bang, but didn't realise it was the glass at the time. There are children running around everywhere here, we're next to a park. We didn't see exactly who did it, just a big group of kids."
Lancashire Police confirmed that they had received reports of criminal damage from Mr Reynolds after the windows were smashed.
He said he was hoping to attract clientele "in their 30s or older," and planned to bring back "old-fashioned food like braised steak or liver and bacon."
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Hide AdThe pub was formerly under the Fayre Table banner, but Mr Reynolds said he wanted to transform it back into a "community pub with home-cooked food."
He planned to invite bands to perform during weekend evenings, and will give customers their own table service when they book a meal.
"We want this to be somewhere people want to come, and we'll look after them," he added.