TWO sisters have taken over their local pub.

Jacqui Grace and Maria Pinkney took over the lease of the Queen's Head pub, in Cockfield, at the beginning of the month.

Mrs Pinkney has been coming to the pub since she moved to the village more than 20 years ago, and Mrs Grace has also been a regular for the past three years.

The pair have just finished careers at the GlaxoSmithKline factory, in Barnard Castle, and have always wanted to run a pub together.

Mrs Grace said: "We are really enjoying it so far. It has been busy with all the people in over Christmas. In the New Year we hope to start serving food again."

The pub is owned by the Jennings Brothers' brewery and, before taking it over, the two sisters regularly helped to organise quizzes and other competitions there.

John Houghton, pub operations director at Jennings, said: "Maria and Jacqui have been part of life at the Queen's Head for a while now, are residents of Cockfield, and their familiarity is excellent for the future of the pub.

"Jennings' acquisitions programme is all about buying good pubs and finding the right people to run them, and we are confident that this has been achieved at the Queen's Head."