A PUB tenant has accused its owners of not giving him enough support to make the business a success.

Simon Brind, who was tenant at The Mitre in Shipton Road, spoke following its recent closure, reported by The Press on Thursday.

Ei Publican Partnerships, formerly Enterprise Inns, said on Wednesday that it hoped to reopen the pub as soon as possible, but Mr Brind said his requests for support had gone unheeded.

He said he had become so disillusioned that he would not return to the trade and never wanted to work for the company again.

He said: "We put in the effort. We did out the beer garden outselves and asked Enterprise for some help.

York Press:

"We asked them to do some stuff inside but they would not even give us an oven. Anything we tried to do, they weren't interested."

He said other pubs in the area, such as The Dormouse and The Clifton Hotel, had had money spent on them by their owners, but not The Mitre. He said he had worked 100 hours a week at times and put a lot of money and effort into the pub.

The Mitre opened in 1961 and in 2014 it was listed by City of York Council as an asset of community value, becoming the first pub in York to be accorded such status.

The designation followed a request by Rawcliffe Parish Council, and means that if the pub is put up for sale locals must be given a chance to buy it.

York Press:

Enterprise Inns opposed the listing at the time and Mr Brind said those who had called for it had rarely used the pub The Press contacted Ei Publican Partnerships yesterday to invite them to respond to Mr Brind's claims. They have not yet responded.

Previously, when asked on Wednesday about the pub's closure, a spokesman had said: “We are currently seeking a new publican to take over The Mitre, York and would like to reassure members of the local community that we aim to have the pub back open and trading as soon as possible. Anyone interested in finding out more about this great business opportunity should contact our recruitment team on 0800 953 0072 for more details.”