Having been closed since mid-July, the Kings Arms, a popular historic pub in the centre of Holsworthy, has just reopened again.

The new manager, Dave Pritchard from Plymouth, has a wide experience of running pubs all over this country and in Bahrain and will be hoping that it will be third time lucky after the pub had to suddenly close twice under his two predecessors.

In the days when the livestock market was held in The Square, it was in the Kings Arms that rooms were provided for deals to be done. Today the bar has a 50-inch TV screen, a pool table and dartboards as well as a plaque dating from 1868, which warns that "Poachers will be shot on sight."

Dave said he was getting used to Holsworthy though he did not appreciate being woken up in the early hours of Wednesday mornings when the pannier market was being set up in The Square just below his window.

There will be free pool evenings on Wednesdays, karaoke nights on Fridays and he is planning to reintroduce a food menu shortly. He said he had an excellent staff of five and found the locals "very nice and supportive."