A BREWERY'S decision to sell some of its pubs will spell disaster for East Lancashire's drinkers, a leading publican warned today.

Les Harrison, past chairman of the Burnley Licensed Victuallers' Association and landlord of one of the Bass pubs included in the sell-off, said prices would rise and guest beers would disappear from the pubs.

Twenty seven pubs in Burnley and Colne are among more than 1,400 which are being sold to a new company backed by BT Capital Partners Europe, part of American bank Bankers Trust.

The deal will make Bass £563 million and all employees, including management, will transfer to the new owners when the deal is completed in April.

Mr Harrison's pub, the Coal Clough, will be among the pubs to leave the Bass empire.

He said the move was bad news for publicans and drinkers alike.

"We are very, very disappointed. Most of us who lease from Bass are allowed one guest beer and we will lose that. At the Coal Clough we have worked hard to introduce a brew called Massey's and it has proved successful but we will lose that.

"Bass are the leaders in marketing brands like Carling Premier and Worthington Best Bitter.

"But the new company will only have to supply us with a similar product, not necessarily the same beers.

"Prices will go up and that is bad news for the customer."

He said he would be seeking a meeting with Bass bosses and added that the only consolation was that Bass had guaranteed that staff at the former Bass Lease pubs would keep their jobs.

Bass has revealed it plans to hand back £850 million to shareholders in the form of a bonus issue of preference shares, equivalent to 11 per cent of the group's stock market value.

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