A YORK village pub has closed suddenly, after an out-of-the-blue decision by Sam Smith’s brewery.

The manager of the Rose and Crown in Askham Richard claims he has been dismissed by the brewery, and that he was asked to leave the accommodation with no notice two weeks ago.

The pub has been closed ever since, with managers Dan and Deb Walker still living in the flat above. Now people in the village have spoken of their frustration that the community will be without a place to meet, and are supporting the managers and their family, as they face a move out of their home.

The Walkers were part of the community, parish council chairman Sara Mason said, and the family will be missed in the village.

“They took on the pub because they had lived here previously and they loved the village.

“Their younger son did the paper-round.”

Sara phoned the brewery the afternoon the Walkers were asked to leave, to be told the family were “dragging their heels about getting out”, and a new manager would be brought in once the accommodation was empty.

“This was four to five hours after they had been asked to leave - a family of four who had lived in the property for two years. It’s totally unreasonable - there’s no empathy,” she added.

The Walkers had been in the job for almost two years, she added, and although the village has seen landlords come and go quite regularly over the years, the Walkers had done well in bringing many customers back to the Rose and Crown.

“We are just a small village but we have a lot of visitors. The pub overlooks the pond and it is very popular. It seems a shame we can’t have any continuity.”

Chris Steward, who is ward councillor for the area and grew up in the village, said: “In a small village like Askham Richard that doesn’t have a shop or a post office, the pub is really important, and it’s supported by the locals.

“It’s really important that it gets back up and running as soon as possible,” he added.

The Press tried to contact Sam Smith’s for comment, but the brewery could not be reached by the time of going to press.