Concern as village pub shuts its doors

A south Shropshire pub has closed for the second time in 12 months.

The Sun Inn, in High Street, Clun, ceased trading on Friday.

A statement from tenants Michael Daynes and Karen Heatherington, who took it on just seven months ago, confirmed they were no longer trading but wished to make no further comment.

A spokesman for Marston's Pub Company, which owns the pub, said: "We can confirm that the Sun Inn has temporarily closed. We're currently in negotiations with the tenants over bringing the lease to an early conclusion and will be looking to reopen the pub as soon as possible."

Colin Pendry, chairman of Clun Parish Council, said: "The pub was open until Christmas and then it closed for what residents thought was work to the kitchens.

"It reopened for a couple of weeks after Christmas but wasn't serving any food and then it shut."

In January last year Graham and Fiona Didlick, who had been tenants at the pub for 16 months, stopped trading, blaming the recession for the closure.

It also emerged today that The Nags Head in Shrewsbury Road, Pontesbury, had closed.

Landlady Lynne Simon said she and her partner landlord Gordon Sinclair had been left with no option other than to leave after two months at the pub.

She said the pub closed on January 8.