A FORMER snooker hall has opened as a pub following a £1m development project.

Pub operator JD Wetherspoon has spent five months rebuilding The William de Wessygnton, in Victoria Road, Concord, Washington.

Thirty jobs will be created at the pub, which is music-free and includes a non-smoking area. It specialises in cask-conditioned beers, including a range from micro-brewers across the UK.

Paintings, photographs and text relating to the history and characters of the area are displayed at the pub, which opened yesterday.

Manager David Routledge said: "I'm confident that it will prove popular and will be a good addition to the town."