MYSTERY surrounds major works being undertaken at a derelict Southampton pub.

Workmen in unmarked vans have been plugging away at the Bent Brief, at 17-19 Lodge Road.

They kept tight-lipped about the nature of their work when approached by the Echo.

The owner - whose company bought the pub for £442,500 seven years ago - also refused to reveal what is going on.

Scaffolding adorns the Bent Brief, whose former staff pulled its last pint almost seven years ago to the day.

Most of the roof has been demolished. There is no planning or a licensing application on the city council's online portal.

The Bent Brief in Lodge Road

The Bent Brief in Lodge Road

The former pub, which closed in 2015, is owned by St Mary's Supermarket Ltd - the company behind the Premier shop of the same name in St Mary's Road.

Director Meten Lakhani refused to comment on the plans when approached by an Echo reporter while he was working behind the counter of his shop.

When told by the Echo that nearby residents wanted to know what was going on, he said they "must have too much time on their hands".

Bevois ward councillor Jacqui Rayment said she had not been notified of the works.

The pub closed its doors on February 26, 2015.

It had been run by joint landlords Andy Wade and Maureen Evans, who decided against renewing the lease

Punch Taverns, who owned the building at the time, placed it on the open market.

St Mary's Supermarket Ltd purchased the site for £375,000, plus VAT of £67,500, according to Land Registry records.

Daily Echo: The Bent Brief in Lodge Road

The pub started life in the 1870s as The Royal Oak, owned by Coopers Brewery.

It changed its name to The Bent Brief in 1994, against its nearby rival, The Honest Lawyer.