A PUB at the centre of last year's Novichok poisonings will reopen on Friday, after more than a year since punters last walked through its doors.

With a refurbished look and fresh name, The Bishop's Mill in Salisbury city centre will hold its ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11am.

The Greene King pub, formally named The Mill, has been closed since last March for nerve agent decontamination after being one of the buildings visited by Sergei and Yulia Skripa after they were poisoned.

But now the mayor of Salisbury Mike Osment will reopen the venue, with changes including enhancements to the outside of the pub and landscaping in the garden, as well as a new glazed pergola.

The layout inside the pub has also been updated, bosses say, with the repositioning of the bar and improving accessibility into the pub to enable easier use for all customers.

One of the staircases to the mezzanine level has also be removed to create a more open ground-floor space and allow for the creation of different areas inside the pub.

Owners say the aim is for the pub to once again become a successful place for visitors and residents of Salisbury alike.

They add that the pub's new name is a nod to the building’s heritage and position at the heart of the city centre

As reported, the pub had been scheduled to open for Christmas, but plans were delayed due to the building's listed status.

Andrea Greenwood, operations manager for The Bishop’s Mill, said: “We are delighted to be an important step closer to reopening The Bishop’s Mill for the whole Salisbury community

“We are expecting building work to start imminently and to continue throughout March, with a reopening planned for April.

“It is now around a year since the terrible events of last March and our thoughts are very much with the people of Salisbury and especially those directly impacted by these events.”