AS Trevor and Paul Harris kicked aside the mound of letters lying behind the front door of The Greyhound, they instantly knew they were on to a winner.

The father-and-son team behind the Derby Brewing Company were looking for a second pub to add to the already thriving Brewery Tap at The Royal Standard they refurbished and re-opened 18 months ago.

And through the dust and haze at The Greyhound in Friar Gate, they knew straight away they had found it.

Trevor said: "It just felt right. It's the same feeling you get when you are house hunting and you walk in somewhere that is just perfect for you.

"The Greyhound was built in 1734 and we want it to be around and locally owned for many years to come."

Paul said since the pair started negotiating the purchase from pub giant Enterprise Inns three months ago, he and his father had been back to the pub many times to start drawing up plans for what will end up being a £400,000 project.

And each time they went, they found something new.

He said: "One of our main concerns was the beer cellar because it is so small but we have discovered another cellar which is twice the size.

"That area of Friar Gate and Ashbourne Road has always had a drinking pedigree so the chance to re-open a pub that everyone knows there is great.

"The traditional Derby mile crawl has suffered with the closure of The Gallant Hussars and The Swan and Salmon, so we might bring drinkers back.

"There are a lot of offices around that area so we are hoping to tap into the lunchtime and after-work market too."

Last year, the Derby Telegraph told how the Derby Mile pubs were suffering due to factors such as cheap alcohol in supermarkets and the effects of the smoking ban.

The Derby Brewing Company bought the old Royal Standard, in Exeter Street, two years ago and spent tens of thousands of pounds refurbishing it.

Its changing range of local and national real ales has made it a must for beer lovers.

Paul said he and his father would copy the blueprint for The Greyhound.

They have submitted a planning application to Derby City Council to refurbish the pub and add a roof terrace.

He said: "We want it to mirror the Brewery Tap in terms of the real ales we can offer but we also want it to have its own identity.

"The Brewery Tap was named Derby City Pub of the Year by the Campaign for Real Ale, so we know we can make a success of The Greyhound and hope to be open in the springtime."

Julian Tubbs, regional co-ordinator for CAMRA, said the purchase plans were "terrific news".

"I believe that Trevor, being a local man, will make a great success of it, just like he has done with the old Royal Standard," he said.

"Large pub chains don't have the local knowledge that Trevor has."