A south Norfolk village pub will reopen tomorrow after a six month closure - and residents can not wait to get back through the doors.

New landlords Ivan and Zoe Noble, who have been running pubs together since 1989, said they have been inundated with people turning up at The Crown, in Great Ellingham, near Attleborough, eager to find out when the historic building will be serving customers again.

The couple, who moved from March, in Cambridgeshire, just last week, said they had found the village 'very friendly' and were encouraged by the reaction to their arrival.

Mr Noble, 59, said: 'People are just over the moon - they can not wait for it to open. We have a good track record of rescuing pubs which have been down. I've got to the stage in my life where I want to settle and this seems like a nice place to do that.'

This week workmen have been putting in the hours to re-arrange the game room and dining areas, update the furniture, install a new carvery unit and revamp the bar.

The couple hope to encourage family functions at the pub, such as wedding receptions, and want to host community fundraising events.

'Our main objective is to get it back to being a local pub again - a villagers' pub,' said Mr Noble.