Olympic champions the Brownlee brothers have been honoured in their hometown with a pub being named after them.

The former Grey Horse on Long Row in Horsforth has now become the Brownlee Arms in tribute to the triathlete brothers Alistair and Jonathan.

The pub has been renamed by its new owners twin brothers Chris and Nick Green – and its rebranding has been greeted with amusement by the Brownlees themselves.

The athletes, who grew up in Horsforth, knew about the plans to change the pub’s name before the official re-opening on October 12.

Chris said he had already spoken to their agent about the plan and had been told that Alistair and Jonathan felt honoured.

He added: “Nick’s daughter Harriet met Johnny when he was at a signing at Bronte House School. She told Johnny that her dad was naming a pub after him. They already knew about it and they think it’s quite funny.”

The pub’s new owners wanted to change its name after investing half a million pounds in its redevelopment.

Chris said: “The Brownlees are proper Yorkshire lads who work really hard and support the community.

“We have even got two beer tankards for them with their names on behind the bar for a free pint whenever they visit.”

It is not just their sporting success which is being marked by the newly named pub – but also the special bond between brothers, which, as twins, Chris and Nick fully understand.

“It’s a real brothers in arms thing,” Chris said. “You love each other, you fight for the same things and you want the best for each other. We thought that was a good legacy.”

He said he hoped the Brownlees would visit the pub once they finished their trek up Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa.

Meanwhile a Triathlon statue has been put up in Bramhope as a permanent tribute to their most famous residents, Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee.

It will be officially unveiled by the brothers themselves on Friday, October 25, at 4.30pm.

Bramhope residents were elated by the success of the Brownlee brothers winning gold and bronze at the 2012 Olympics but were upset by the decision of the Royal Mail to paint a Horsforth post box gold rather than one in Bramhope.

Public opinion was overwhelmingly in favour of something permanent to commemorate their sporting achievement.

‘The Triathlon statue is by local sculptor Shane Green, well known for his chain saw sculptures such as the Chevin sculpture trail. Shane was commissioned as part of the Olympics to create a six foot tall sculpture every day capturing a specific event, forming a sculpture trail across the London Parks.

On the day of the Brownlees' triumph, Shane produced a statue of the triathlon. ‘The Triathlon’ now positioned at the beginning of the Jubilee Copse park is a larger and more complete rendition of the London statue.

The three triathlon elements of swimming, cycling and running are intermingled to create a complex and impressive work, some eight foot high.