A pair of familiar faces are pulling pints and dishing up food again in a Lowestoft pub popular with diners.

Andrew Willows and Andy Lock are the new landlords of the Jolly Sailors pub which re-opened on Friday in Pakefield Street.

The pub had been boarded up since November after the company which owned it Jolly Sailors Ltd, went into voluntary liquidation following a cash flow crisis.

In August the pub also hit the headlines after a suspected food poisoning outbreak saw 21 people suffer diarrhoea and stomach cramps.

But now tasty meals and brews are firmly back on the menu after Mr Willows and Mr Lock took the plunge and returned to their old haunt.

Mr Willows had been landlord of the pub 14 years ago and Mr Lock used to be its head chef.

Together with Enterprise Inns they have ploughed in �80,000 into modernising the pub which has a 52 seater restaurant and a new bar area with 26 seats.

And work on the kitchen has already won the seal of approval from Waveney District Council which has awarded the pub top marks in a hygiene inspection.

Mr Willows said it was good to be back after a 14-year hiatus and pledged to make sure the Jolly Sailor's reputation for good food and service remained high.

The pub was officially opened by Waveney MP Peter Aldous yesterday.