TWO of Clitheroe’s town centre pubs are up for sale.

And calls have been made to keep them as going concerns.

The Castle pub in Station Road is now on the market for £74,950, joining The Swan and Royal Hotel in Castle Street that has been on the market for eight months priced at £189,950.

The Castle, which is being sold by Daltons Business, is a large pub with a beer garden that has only recently been refurbished.

Daltons website says: “This is a fantastic opportunity to acquire a well-established public house located in Clitheroe, Lancashire. The pub enjoys the luxury of an outside beer garden with quality seating.” It goes on to describe ‘marvellous’ fourbedroom living quarters.

The Swan and Royal is being sold by Preferred Commercial Properties.

The former coaching inn dates back to the 1830s.

From September 2009 to September 2010, the inn closed after a fire ravaged the building during a 30th birthday party.

Since then, the pub has been fully refurbished and continued to be a much loved watering hole in the centre of town. Landlord Terry Joy said: “We’ll be very sad to leave but we’ve been here for 13 years and it feels like it’s time for a new challenge.

“My wife never really settled after the fire, which is understandable as it was quite a horrific ordeal.

“We’ve had lots of good times though and made some good friends and it will be hard to move on.

“But 13 years is a long time in the pub trade.”

Town councillor Mary Robinson said: “I think pubs closing and being sold is part of a national trend and not unique to the Ribble Valley.

“There are three or four pubs in Clitheroe that are always busy but I don’t really think that is enough and I certainly don’t want to see any more pubs closing.

“However, it does seem Clitheroe’s nightlife isn’t doing too badly and even though people are watching what they spend and how often they go out, people in our town still make an effort.”