A golden lion which vanished from a Grade II listed pub has been returned.

The lion was taken for renovation three years ago from the Golden Lion Hotel, in Loftus town centre, in east Cleveland, and locals thought it might never return. However the landmark, itself a replacement of the original mid-19th Century lion statue, is now back in place.

It is believed that Charles Dickens once visited the pub and hotel which was built on the site of an ancient inn.