A WELL-KNOWN barman is calling on members of the public to help him decorate a former bar in Barrow which is poised to reopen in a matter of weeks.

Yesterday we revealed Stephen Neale has submitted a premises licence application to Barrow Borough Council in a bid to re-open the former Empire venue at the top of Dalton Road.

In his application, Mr Neale states the bar will be called New Empire in a gesture to the pub's past.

The response from Evening Mail readers on Facebook has been positive, with many welcoming the re-opening of the Empire.

In the post, which has been shared 22 times, 54 comments have been made, referring to the "good old times" spent in the Empire.

Mr Neale has revealed he plans to open the bar on March 18.

Opening hours of the bar, if the licence is granted, are likely to be between 3pm and 3am seven days a week, subject to demand.

The Empire was open during the 1980s and 1990s and was later rebranded as Sophia's.

Run by licence holder Helen Clauson, Sophia's opened in late 2011 but later closed following council-imposed opening hours cuts as a result of anti-social behaviour.

Mr Neale has called on former customers in the Empire to pass on any photographs they may have from its former years. Pictures can be sent to amy.fenton@nwemail.co.uk to be passed onto Mr Neale.

For the full interview with Mr Neale about his plans for the Empire, see tomorrow's Evening Mail.