For years there had been talk that Hollywood A-lister Johnny Depp had bought a home in the New Forest town of Lymington.

Those rumours were debated, argued over and eventually dismissed.

But now an appearance by the Pirates of the Caribbean star in a local bar appears to prove that he does have links with the town after all.

Customers enjoying a pint at The Haven Bar and Restaurant on Easter Sunday were stunned when the 49-year-old actor walked through the door with his children and pet dog.

Wearing dark glasses and wrapped up against the cold |in a grey scarf and long dark coat, he supped on a half pint of lager.

As previously reported, there have been numerous sightings of Johnny around the New Forest.

Locals claim to have seen him drinking in local pubs, dining in restaurants and shopping in a department store, while there were also rumours that he wanted to enrol his children at a local school.

Now his appearance at The Haven, which counts DJ Chris Evans among its celebrity customers, seems to suggest he has links with Lymington after all.

The star was accompanied by his children Lily-Rose, 13, and Jack, 10, their Labrador and several other adults for a quick drink on Easter Sunday afternoon.

Bar manager Christina Haines, who served them, said: “Chris Evans comes in quite a lot, and it’s just normal for us.

“We’re quite used to having famous people here, we didn’t make a big deal out of it.

“I mainly spoke to his son, who seemed very precocious and kept me entertained as he tried to work out what drink he wanted.”

Fellow bar manager Helen Wood said: “It was a little bit surreal, but I think we were all quite professional and played it down.”

Johnny, who stars in Gore Verbinski’s film adaptation of The Lone Ranger, out this summer, split from French actress Vanessa Paradis last year.

The actor has strong links with the UK, and is said to own a townhouse in Bath and a stately home in Norfolk.

He also has residences in Paris, the Bahamas and Los Angeles.