THE long-awaited opening date of a pub in Malvern has been delayed.

Having been bought out by members of the community this summer, the Brewers Arms in West Malvern was due to open in early September.

However, because of the scale of the work needed to refurbish the pub, its opening has been delayed.

Brian O'Connell, from the Brewers Community Pub group, said the pub still had a great deal of electrical work to be done before it could open properly.

He said: "We have had our electrical report and work needs to be done ahead of opening.

"It looks like we will exchange and complete the sale next week but the grand opening will have to be delayed pending the electrical work.

READ MORE: Brewers Arms to close while final deal is made

"Once we do exchange and complete we will be asking for volunteers to come forward to help in getting the pub up to scratch.

"It is looking very sad and neglected."

The Brewers Arms was saved by a community buyout after previous owners Admiral announced they would be leaving in late 2021.

A bid of more than £400,000 was accepted by Admiral for the building after residents banded together to set up a community-ownership model for the pub.

This would give future owners and licencees much more freedom on prices and costs, meaning it would be in theory easier to run than it had previously been.

Since the bid was accepted, the pub has been closed, with the community group saying throughout the bid process that a lot of work would be needed before it could fully re-open, including new toilets and a kitchen as well as structural repairs to the building itself.

READ MORE: Villagers agree to launch Brewers Arms buyout bid

It was hoped the pub would be open by the August Bank Holiday, but progress has been slowed while the community group carries out surveys to find out the full scale of the necessary work.

The move to buy the Brewers Arms started when Admiral Taverns announced it was looking to sell.

This followed years of successive owners failing to make a success of the pub.

At a packed-out meeting last November, people in the West Malvern community voted unanimously to attempt to buy it.