A STRUGGLING Colchester pub which closed earlier this year has been bought by an entrepreneur who plans to “keep it traditional”.

The New Inn, in Chapel Street South, had to close for six weeks before it was bought by former TV commercials director Mark Hanrahan at auction.

He said he planned to keep the traditional feel of the pub as much as possible, and only sell drinks for the first six months while he found out what the customers wanted.

He said: “I love pubs. I am a traditionalist and fear local pubs are an endangered species as we know them.

“We eventually want to offer traditional pub food, but using very fresh ingredients.

“I hope the pub will attract a good mix of people, and have a traditional, friendly atmosphere.”

The pub lost its darts, pool and other teams when it closed in the summer, but he hopes they will return in the near future.

Mr Hanrahan got into the pub industry when he left his job as head of TV production at Saatchi & Saatchi, London, in the Eighties and bought a pub in London.

He said it was a good time to buy as pubs had dropped in value by 40 per cent. He said: “I intend to invest and build up the business. I don’t expect it to make money overnight.”

The New Inn pub is said to be the only pub in Colchester to have been bombed in the Second World War.

As a result, Mark has suggested renaming it the New New Inn.

The pub will be run alongside his two other pubs, including the Rosebud, in Brightlingsea, which he has owned for 15 years.

Bill Colquhoun, director at Christie and Co, which handled the sale, said the building had not met the same fate of many pubs and been turned into houses.

He said: “Our marketing of the New Inn attracted interest from a diverse range of prospective buyers, many of whom were considering various alternative uses.”