A run-down pub with a troubled past has been transformed into a modern bar and Persian restaurant.

The Gun, in London Road, Pitsea, has been re-opened by Abi and Lynne Mohseni, after being closed for more than two years.

They have spent £450,000 on stripping out the pub’s former fittings and creating a 120-seat Persian and Mediterranean restaurant, a 70-seat function room for wakes and weddings and a bar serving traditional pub food.

The Gun previously had a bad reputation for fights and trouble. It was put up for sale in November 2008 because the previous owners were struggling.

When Mr and Mrs Mohseni bought it in April 2010, the building was in a poor condition, so they had to re-plaster the walls and fit new drains, electricity and plumbing systems.

Mrs Mohseni, 45, said: “There were some original things that were worth keeping, but we had to invest a lot of money to sort it out.”

Her husband, 55, who owns Basildon food wholesalers Abi, is originally from Iran and has brought a Persian chef in from London.

The couple, from Billericay, have already begun to improve the pub’s reputation since opening last month.

Mrs Mohseni said: “The best thing about it is the atmosphere. It’s so friendly and we have loads of regulars already.”

The couple are determined there will be no return of the pub’s previous rowdy reputation.

They don’t show sports or have pool tables, which can attract trouble, and Mrs Mohseni, as landlady, says she won’t put up with anyone causing a nuisance.

In the summer, they will open an outdoor area with covered seating areas, a pub garden, barbecue area and children’s play equipment. Regular customer Mark Parkin, 45, of nearby Pound Lane, said: “I’m really impressed with what they’ve done. It’s so much nicer now.”

The pub’s car park has historically sparked controversy, because parents collecting children from St Margaret’s Primary School parked in it.

The Mohsenis have managed to control the problem so far.

However, they said if it gets worse they may install a ticket-operated barrier.

Mrs Mohseni said: “Our customers need our car park and for a wake we might have 50 or 60 families coming, so out of respect for them we won’t be allowing parents to use it.”