ALL they wanted was a good night's sleep and now Jane Barton, Lee Cooper and their two children can look forward to an uninterrupted forty winks after their pub was given a spiritual blessing to cleanse its atmosphere.

The couple took over the Fulflood Arms in Cheriton Road, Winchester, in September last year but were soon disturbed when one of their daughters ran into their bedroom in the middle of the night saying she had seen something she could not explain.

Fourteen-year-old Elise claimed she had felt something lift her bed cover and had watched as the quilt moved, seemingly of its own accord.

The incident left the whole family uneasy about using the room.

Jane, 44, a former nurse, wonders if the incident could be linked to the death from pneumonia of a former landlady. She is believed to have suffered from depression in the lead-up to her death.

Jane called in the Rev Peter Seal, rector of St Luke's Church in Mildmay Street, Winchester, who agreed to come and say prayers in the pub in a bid to bring peace to the building.

Jane told the Daily Echo: "Given the history of how the previous landlady had died and her life before her death, I felt that if there was going to be a spirit that hadn't moved on, then it was quite possible it could have been her.

"I do have a degree of faith, and I certainly felt a lot more easy and at peace after the Rev Seal had been round.

"He said some very peaceful and calming prayers and asked for the house to be a content and serene family home, and it definitely feels much better now."

The Rev Seal said: "I said prayers for the blessing of the house and prayed for the peace of Christ on everyone who lives there. I'm delighted that they feel more at rest in their home."