A pub which has been closed for more than a year after being badly hit by the disastrous Christmas floods of 2013 is expected to reopen this spring.

Drakes, off Medway Street, Maidstone, was left in metre-and-a-half-deep water when the Medway burst its banks and was forced to close immediately.

But managers have confirmed work is going on inside to bring the pub back to its former glory. A soft launch is even being mooted for May.

The old half-timbered building, which dates back to the 17th century, had a wooden floor and beams throughout, plus a wooden bar, which will be replaced.

In their place will be a new stone floor, which will be more resilient should the site flood again in the future, and more brickwork.

However, managing director of Pleisure Pubs, the chain that ran the watering hole for 12 years before the flooding, assured customers its character will be well and truly retained.

He said: “It will still look like the old Drakes.”

The area around the pub was severely hit by the flood waters which left the area around the bridge system, Fairmeadow, Lockmeadow and Hart Street under water for several days.

Buildings took months to dry out. On the opposite side of the river at Wallis Place flats off Hart Street, the communal walls were not free of water until May 2014.

It is expected the soft launch will take place while work on the exterior is still going on.