AN AWARD-WINNING pub swamped by floods during the Boxing Day deluge re-opens tonight with the claim of being Bradford's "cleanest" watering hole.

The Brown Cow on Ireland Bridge, Bingley, was left under five feet of filthy water after the River Aire burst its banks.

But four months of non-stop cleaning and repairs by landlords Matt and Jo Hogg, and a team of workmen, family and friends mean it will be back in business at 5pm tonight.

The Timothy Taylor's pub was booming following an £80,000 refit in the Autumn and the restoration work since the floods is priced at some £150,000, said Mrs Hogg.

"It has to be the cleanest pub in the district - absolutely everything has been washed and washed or replaced," she said.

"We had a production line going in the car park just for the crockery with everything jet washed, disinfected, sanitized and only then going into dishwashers.

"All the fixtures, cubicles and shelving in the toilets has been replaced and the wooden floor came up and has been re-laid with areas of new stone flags."

Mr Hogg said they had filled 14 waste skips with wrecked furniture and furnishings - which alone had cost £3,200 in hire fees.

His wife said one blessing in disguise was the pub, well-known for its food, now had a fresh, gleaming kitchen.

"If it hadn't been for the flood that wouldn't have happened, so now we've got a brilliant new kitchen with a much better layout for chefs and staff.

"And we've also got a new cellar - every scrap of equipment down there had to be thrown away.

"At times I've been up tight about things, but that's just because we so wanted to get everything right - and it is," she said.

"Sometimes it feels surreal and as if the flood was only last week and I wonder if I could have saved more stuff.

"But then our only concern was getting our three children and two dogs to safety.

"Our family, friends and everyone in Bingley, and especially Matt's teammates at Harden Cricket Club, have been so supportive with lots of people helping out of the goodness of their hearts.

"We are so grateful to them all and are looking forward to a great opening night and a really busy weekend."

A spokesman for Timothy Taylor said:"We really appreciate the positivity and resourcefulness shown by tenants Jo and Matt Hogg during this difficult time.

"After such a successful trading period following the refurbishment in Autumn 2015 it was heart-breaking when the Boxing Day floods destroyed all that hard work.

"The community support has been amazing and we wish Jo and Matt well for their reopening after their second refurbishment within the space of a few months!"