A former gay bar closed down after drug-taking behind the bar was uncovered is set to reopen following a £40,000 refurbishment.

The Cardinal’s Cap in Canterbury will have a different landlord at the helm but retaking a name it first held 200 years ago.

Located in the building previously operated as Limes, Canterbury’s only dedicated LGBTQ+ venue, the revamped boozer is expected to open in April as "a cosy local pub" it was once known as.

Limes was forced to shut after its licence was revoked when evidence of drug use was discovered alongside a range of breaches dubbed the worst seen in the city in more than a decade.

Police called for the club to reviewed after they were called to the bar to break up fights, investigate a sexual assault claim and even tackle a sword-wielding gang.

The site, which has been closed since former publican Tony Butcher lost his right to operate, was known as The Cardinal’s Cap from 1820 before being renamed The Blind Dog in 2001.

The Stonegate Pub Group, which owns the venue, has now found someone new to run it after investing in the renovations.

It says the works will restore the pub to the “cosy local pub it was once known as”.

Transformations have already begun with a distressed wood bar being installed alongside new decorative floor tiles and blue tartan carpet.

While operating as Limes, the establishment faced ire from neighbours who raised concerns about "intolerable" noise levels and a series of violent and threatening incidents along Rosemary Lane.

This led one landlord, Sarah Whittall, who owns a nearby property to struggle to keep tenants.

Speaking on the licence review application last October, she said: “The problem has been going on for many years. After lockdown, during which things had been quiet, [my tenants found] noise levels were sometimes hardly tolerable and events outside often sounded violent and threatening.

“They decided that this was no place to raise a child and moved out.

“At one point they contacted us to say there seemed to have been an attempt to break down the front door the night before. We have not rented out the house since they left last Christmas."

Former licence holder Michael Lee, who ran the business with Tony Butcher, disputed the claims made about their business and suggested the revocation of their licence was motivated by homophobia.

Stonegate Pub Group, which runs 333 establishments around the UK, is welcoming a new landlord for the pub who they say will bring “high quality hospitality" to the community.

It has not been confirmed whether it will remain a dedicated LGBTQ+ venue in its new incarnation although branding on the front of the building still features the rainbow colour scheme symbolised on the gay pride flag.

A spokesman for the Stonegate Pub Group said: “The Cardinal’s Cap is reopening this April following an investment of £40,000 that will see it transformed into the cosy local pub it was once known as.

“We are welcoming a new publican to the pub, who is looking forward to bringing high quality hospitality and ales to the local community.”