WHEN a landlady and landlord left for a pub down the road their regulars missed them so much they went along too.

Now the number of drinkers at the Hargreaves Arms, Manchester Road, Accrington, has swelled following Craig and Linda Stacey's arrival last week.

The Britannia Inn, Nuttall Street, is boarded up and up for sale following husband and wife's departure. And rather than wait for the old local to be sold on, the punters have stuck with what they know to create themselves a new local.

The Britannia's staff have also followed them over to help make a success of the Hargreaves Arms.

But despite their hopes, there could be some spooky goings on for Craig and Linda at the supposedly haunted pub.

When told about the ghosts of a cat and a person that are said to stalk the bar area, Craig said: "If it's a cat I will know about it because I'm allergic to them.

"Taking over the Hargreaves is a bit daunting because it's bigger than where we've come from. We are bringing our team of staff from the Britannia and the customers have come along with us, so the future looks good.

"We hope to get some live music, karaokes and quiz nights up and running."

The couple had been at the Britannia for only eight months. The decision to leave was made after the brewery put the pub up for sale.

They held a farewell party for customers, although with the number who have followed them over, it was more of a farewell to the building.

Linda said: "The Britannia was brilliant. The customers made us welcome and had a lot of laughs together. They were friendly and warm.

"I hope we manage to stay here a bit longer, it's a bit of an upheaval moving a lot.

"We were very, very sad to leave but we are looking forward to running the Hargreaves Arms and hope everybody accepts us."

Craig and Linda officially opened the pub yesterday. They will live above the pub.