A popular Benfleet pub is looking to undergo a makeover as businesses prepare for coronavirus restrictions to be lifted.

The owners of the Hoy and Helmet, on High Street, Benfleet, have lodged a planning application to refurbish the customer garden area and car park.

The move comes as our favourite watering holes ready themselves for being able to open their doors for the first time since the turn of the year.

Pub gardens, as well as restaurants, will be allowed to serve customers sitting outdoors from April 12.

Boozers and eateries will be unable to seat customers indoors until May 17, ahead of the scheduled lifting of all restrictions on June 21.

Refurbishing the beer garden would allow the Hoy and Helmet to serve customers outdoors and, as a result, generate income five weeks ahead of watering holes which do not boast outdoor space for punters.

The Hoy and Helmet, where then-Ukip leader Nigel Farage famously poured a celebratory pint after south Essex success in the 2014 European Parliament elections, is owned by Greene King.

Should the alterations be approved, the two grassed areas to the rear of the pub will be paved and welcome planting beds.

A timber-constructed pergola with a felt roof and fixed seating booths will also be constructed.

Punters would also be kept warm in the colder months of the year thanks to a new log-burning stove, while further seating areas will allow customers to maintain social distancing regulations even after restrictions are lifted.

Those who have reservations about the development of the pub are urged to contact Castle Point Council by April 9.

>Motorists could be set to endure lengthy delays as adjustments are made to a busy stretch of road.

Canvey Road is due to be closed southbound from the junction with Canvey Way Roundabout to the Canvey Road Roundabout North.

A contraflow system will be put in place, with southbound traffic set to travel on the northbound carriageway.

The move is expected to result in motorists having to contend with congestion.

The closure will come into force from March 25, with no end date specified.

The roads will be closed to facilitate each phase of works being undertaken by one.network.

Motorists will be urged to follow diversion routes signposted, while residents living locally are due to be informed of the dates of each phase of the adjustment process by post.

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