A FAMILY-RUN café that was destroyed by an arson attack less than a year ago has reopened – inside a bus.

Rosie Hodgson, and her husband Stewart, discovered the horrifying sight of their burnt out Cozy Coffee café, on the outskirts of Brafferton, near Darlington, in September last year.

The cafe, which was built from scratch by Mr Hodgson, opened in May 2015, but all that remained following the blaze was the charred remains of what had been described as “the best thing to happen to Brafferton” by customers.

But yesterday, after months of hard work and preparation, the new Cozy Coffee finally opened its doors to the public with a special celebration.

The new facility, which can hold just under 50 customers, has seen the transformation of a single-decker bus into a “fun, vibrant, lively, happy and loveable café”.

To celebrate the cafe’s new beginning, there were complimentary teas and coffees for visitors yesterday, as well as hot dogs and ice creams for sale.

The cafe’s full new menu will be available from today.

Speaking ahead of the opening, Mrs Hodgson said: “This is the day we have all been waiting for after eight months of hard work.

“Since the arson attack that devastated our precious little Cozy Coffee last September we have been very busy establishing this business again, and due to amazing funding and massive support this has become a reality.

“We chose to launch our new bus cafe on this day as an opportunity to view, catch up, meet new people and reintroduce everyone to Cozy Coffee.”

When the original Cozy Coffee was opened three years ago, it was used for hen parties and meetings about plans to build a bypass through the village to the A1(M), that were unveiled last year.

It also proved popular with cyclists, walkers and groups of elderly people, who Mrs Hodgson said the café had been a “lifeline” for.

“We are very excited and again so grateful for everyone’s continued generosity and support, this couldn’t happen without it,” she said.

“Normal service resumes today although the menu maybe slightly altered for our first week of 'getting used to new stuff’ routine.”

The café is open Tuesday to Sunday. For more information, find it on Facebook.