A pub landlord has transformed a “boring” pub garden into a “Ibiza resort” during the coronavirus lockdown.

A 25ft swimming pool, 86-inch TV, pizza oven and hot tub have been installed at the Jolly Anglers in east Reading.

Xhemal Zeqiri bought the The Jolly Anglers pub, which is by the Kennet near Cemetery Junction, in February 2019.

He said it was a “huge mess” and the garden was “a bit boring”, while also being on a hill which made it difficult to stand.

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Mr Zeqiri, who is from Kosovo but has lived in the UK for 22 years, said: “I thought I would do something like it is abroad by the seaside – something attractive for young people.

“I saw it like holidays in Ibiza. People go on holiday but never go to the beach. They sit by a swimming pool with a bar.

“I thought, this should work here as well.”

Pub garden transformed for less than £5,000

At the beginning of this year, Mr Zeqiri refurbished the inside of the pub, brightening the colours and adding a new kitchen, toilets and new TV screens.

Having already had the idea to transform the pub’s garden, the coronavirus lockdown gave him the time to get to work on the plan.

He bought the pool off gumtree for just £100, driving to Bournemouth to pick it up the same day.

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Hiring out a small digger, he got to work on the pool, with the whole garden transformed in time for the pub’s re-opening on July 4, along with most pubs across England.

Mr Zeqiri, who moved to Reading last February from Windsor and previously ran a car repairs garage, did all the work himself, with some help from his girlfriend’s cousin.

He says he spent a total of around £4,000 transforming the garden, with most of that spent on the pool, pizza oven, hot tub and TV.

“I didn’t think it was going to be such big news but I thought it was going to be really cool,” he said.

“I was hoping to get young students to start enjoying pubs again.”

‘Business has tripled’ since pub re-opened

The pub was forced to shut on March 20 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the day before Mr Zeqiri and his girlfriend celebrated their first-year anniversary as owners of the pub.

Mr Zeqiri said The Jolly Anglers is a “summer pub” and business was just about to pick up when the lockdown happened but he said he would not have been able to transform the garden if the lockdown had not happened.

He said business has tripled since the lockdown and the garden’s makeover, while the improved garden has helped with social distancing.

“Without this I probably would not have survived,” he said.

No swimming allowed yet

People in east Reading have been waiting for a new public pool for nearly four years, after Arthur Hill closed in 2016 and so far this is about as close as we have got.

The pool currently cannot be used due to coronavirus social distancing measures and is just a garden feature.

Mr Zeqiri said he is unsure whether he needs planning permission for the pool and would seek advice from the council.

He has created a B&B above the pub and says he initially wants to open the pool up for those staying overnight to use from 10am-4pm, with the pub garden closed to the public until then.