A community-run rock music pub in Blackburn has closed and has been repossessed by a brewery.
Earlier this week the Sir Charles Napier pub, in Limbrick in the town centre, announced it has closed its doors.
They said rising costs and the coronavirus lockdowns are to blame.
A spokesperson said: “It is with great regret we have to announce The Napier has closed its doors for the last time this week.
“Having sailed the rocky seas through the lockdowns we were sadly unable to stay the course any further amid rising costs and challenges we are all facing at present.
“The Napier staff and management wish all our customers well, and hope to see you all again in calmer waters.
“Best wishes and thanks for the memories.”
In 2015, a campaign was launched to save the venue after its closure.
It was backed by hundreds of people, including Rob Halford of British heavy metal pioneers Judas Priest.
It was reopened after locals set up a community company to run it as a social enterprise.
A spokesperson from Daniel Thwaites, the brewery which owns the pub, said the current operators had built up “significant rental arrears” and together they tried to find a viable solution.
Thwaites said they were “left with no alternative” but to pursue legal action and take possession of the pub
A spokesperson said: “Following the nomination of the Sir Charles Napier in Blackburn, as an Asset of Community Value by a local community group in 2015, Thwaites agreed to grant them a free-of-tie lease for five years, on a preferential rent, with the lease guaranteed by a public body.
“At the end of the lease term, the community group were unable to find a similarly strong guarantor and had built significant rent arrears.
“The community group decided to look at the possibility of purchasing the freehold from Thwaites, but after almost a year of discussions and negotiations, the group’s prospective funders decided not to buy the pub.
“The current operators remain in significant rental arrears and all Thwaites’ efforts to try and find a commercially viable solution have come to nothing.
"Having provided the group with the opportunity to initially lease the site, and then the opportunity for them to purchase the site, Thwaites have been left with little alternative but to pursue legal action to obtain possession of the pub and bring the matter to a head.”
Councillor Phil Riley, Blackburn with Darwen Council leader, said: “It’s obviously a disappointment and the council were really helpful in the original process of setting up the community pub.
“Recent years have shown the demands of running a community pub are very challenging and it has probably been hard to sustain.”
Many customers have been left upset by the news and posted messages of support for the pub.
One person said: “So sorry to hear that, wish all the staff all the best for the future, and thanks for an amazing venue.”
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