Tony Shawcross has been joint tenant and licensee at The Alum Ale House with his partner Tess Gosling for the last 16 months.

Now the pair are expanding their burgeoning empire by taking over the reins at The Riverside pub, just 300 yards away on the Mill Dam.

Mr Shawcross – who we yesterday revealed was struck by lightning while making a frantic dash between his bars as they were flooded in Wednesday's heavy storms – aims to make the Riverside area a haven for real ale fans throughout the region.

And he is hoping to create a friendly rivalry with neighbouring Mill Dam pub The Steamboat, which recently won a 'Camra Pub of the Year' award.

The sale of The Riverside marked the end of an era for pub entrepreneur Paul Hedley.

But Mr Shawcross, 34, revealed his predecessor was anxious that he left the bar in "safe hands".

He said: "Paul actually refused offers from people to come in when he found out we were interested.

"In fact, he even agreed to wait for us to raise the funds necessary.

"He'd seen what we had achieved at the Alum and wanted to hand over to someone who had the best interest of the pub and the customers at heart."

The plan is for The Riverside to have six hand-pump real ales, adding to the nine currently available at The Alum.

Mr Shawcross, a mechanical engineer before moving into the pub trade, added: "The pubs in this area could become part of a real ale circuit, attracting people from all over the region to come along here."

The plan is for The Riverside, which will be managed by Dave Milne, to become a regular live music venue.

Bands wanting to appear there can call Mr Shawcross on 07825 109224.