A CITY centre pub will reopen under new ownership this week.

The Tom Toya Lewis on Commercial Street used to be owned by national chain JD Wetherspoon. But the city centre pub was on of 45 premises they put on the market in 2017.

It was briefly taken off the market, much to the joy of its regulars, before being put back up for sale via auction in February this year.

The popular pub has now been bought by Warrington based Close Community Ltd, who are not planning on changing the famous name above the door.

The Tom Toya Lewis will reopen for business on Friday, April 20, at 8am.

Deputy manager Alison Harrison said: “I worked here when it was a Wetherspoon pub, and I ‘m so happy they’re reopening and keeping the same name.

“We’ve been working with a local historian to find authentic pictures of Tom Toya Lewis, so we will be able to celebrate his story and present a bit of an exhibition to customers.

“It’s such a community pub and we have so many regulars. We couldn’t be more excited to open.”

The pub takes its name from a teenage boy who became a city hero after helping to save lives in the Newport dock disaster of 1909.