A DERELICT pub that has blighted a community and was once labelled a crime den is undergoing a £250,000 refurbishment.

The Jubilee pub, on the Jubilee Fields estate, in Shildon, is expected to open as the Welcome Inn in about four-weeks, for "the good people of Shildon".

It closed in June last year amid concerns it had become a focal point for youth and adult anti-social behaviour.

In its last five months of trading, 37 incidents were reported, including many regarding youths causing a nuisance.

Officers were also called to six incidents of anti-social behaviour, including drug dealing, and five burglaries or thefts were reported. Then owners Admiral Taverns closed the pub, citing "business reasons", as Durham Police were due to appeal against the licence.

Since its closure, it has continued to attract unwanted attention, with youths congregating outside the building, in Corporation Road.

However, work has started on the refit, after the site was acquired by the Welcome Inn pub company, which hopes to put the pub's problems in the past.

"We just want to open a good family pub for the good people of Shildon," said the company's director, John Finn.

"We are spending just under £250,000 and we are completely refurbishing the entire pub - everything is getting ripped out and replaced.

"There have been issues with the pub and the area in the past, but there are plenty of good people in Shildon and we look forward to welcoming them."

The pub will have two bars, modern fittings, new toilets, a pool area and a designated outdoor smoking area.

An alarm, CCTV system and secure doors and windows will also be installed, a condition of the licence, imposed by Sedgefield Borough Council.

The company has businesses of all kinds on its books, but has a proven track record of turning round pubs in "difficult" areas.

"We have done it before in places like Easington and Blackpool, and we think we can do it again in Shildon," said Mr Finn.