The owner of a town centre pub branded “dark and dingy” hopes a revamp will help shake off its unflattering reputation.

Earlier this year, Chris Hall took over the reins at The Phoenix in Ashford, before spending the past two months overhauling the place into his vision - The Players Bar.

Speaking of the former Tufton Street pub’s past, Mr Hall said it carried a “certain name around town”, while our reviewer Secret Drinker slammed the spot following a visit in 2022.

But Mr Hall hopes to attract customers with a combination of live music events, sports coverage on several screens and a bright splash of interior colour.

The 43-year-old, originally from Essex, hopes the addition of dedicated spaces for bands, DJs, snooker and darts will help boost the site’s reputation.

“It did seem to hold a certain name around town, which wasn’t always positive,” he said.

“We still get people coming in not knowing things have changed and improved tenfold.

“So that’s what this relaunch is all about, showing people there are new owners and getting people to come back, enjoy the place and have a good time out.

“We’ve had so much good feedback from our customer base so far, and we just want to continue building on that.

“There’s plenty of opportunities around town, but that’s what this relaunch is all about, so people know this is a nice place to come and enjoy a night out in a welcoming venue that hopefully appeals to everyone.”

When Secret Drinker visited almost two years ago, they said “the whole place seemed devoid of light, humour or life”.

Handing the venue one out of five stars for decor, the reviewer said: “The darkest pub I’ve ever encountered with nothing to lift your spirits.

“It wasn’t clear what was creating the smell but a single plug-in air freshener was never going to be enough.”

But fresh pictures show Mr Hall has brightened up the bar which, he hopes, will become a bustling venue.

He will be competing against the already established sports bar Matches at Elwick Place.

Mr Hall added: “We’ve created an indoor garden area, spaces for photo opportunities, a spot for bands to come and play as well as dedicated space for the pool and darts teams.

“I hope it can be a nice venue to go to with DJ nights offering different genres of music, which hopefully can appeal to various generations at different times.

“It could really be somewhere for everyone.”

On purchasing the bar, Mr Hall said how he hoped it would rival the best in Kent.