THE wife who has accompanied a pub stalwart through his 30 years in the pub trade has said she wishes she could remain at the pub.

Vivien Hilliard, 72, has accompanied her husband Richard at pubs throughout Hyndburn and the pair are now looking to sell up and retire after seven years at Tricky's in Oswaldtwistle.

While Mr Hilliard often did the business work at the bar, his wife was often doing a lot of hard work behind the scenes.

Mrs Hilliard said: "I'll be sad to see it goes.

"I've always been there doing the cleaning and decorating.

"We've made so many friends."

She listed highlights of her time at Tricky's as the annual celebrations they held, such as Christmas parties.

She also accompanied Mr Hilliard working at the New Inn in Oswaldtwistle, the Antley Inn in Blackburn Road and the Royal Oak in Accrington.

Mrs Hilliard, like her husband hopes Tricky's will remain a pub and said the pair are in no rush to sell up.

She said: "We're only going to sell to the right people.

"We've put a lot of hard work in to get it where it is today and we want it to remain a pub.

"I'll cry my eyes out when the day comes we leave."

The pub is on the market for £250,000 with Mortimers Estate Agent.