THE wait is almost over.

After six years of gathering dust, legendary Southampton nightspot the Frog and Frigate is set to re-open tomorrow.

The Daily Echo had an exclusive look inside the pub in Canute Road ahead of its grand re-opening.

Landlords Derek and Lorraine Gardener have been hard at work putting the final touches including getting the floor and tables ready to soak up the beer by using sawdust.

Daily Echo:

Tomorrow they are expecting 100 people to attend the re-opening including 'Froggers' who have travelled from as far as Hong Kong, Toronto and Rome.

Derek and Lorraine kept the pubs image intact, but have repainted virtually every wall and ceiling in preparation.

Southampton musician Charley Macaulay will mark the occasion by smashing a bottle of Newcastle Brown Ale on the wall.

The re-opening will include a music set by Derek, who previously ran the popular watering hole from 1993 to 2003 and the 59-year-old believes the pub will be rocking.

Daily Echo:

Derek Gardener, said: “The pub closed in quite a rush and it was just messy but once we had a good clean up most of what we required was already here.

“We had my birthday in the pub on Saturday and it was just a fantastic feeling to be back in the pub it was like the last 12 years had disappeared.”

Daily Echo:

“We are just so excited to get the place reopened. The amount of interest we have had on Facebook in the media is just incredible.”

It is the second pub to reopen in Southampton in the last seven days, with Dancing Man Brewery reopening the Wool House as a pub last week.