REGULARS at a York pub are campaigning to save it after rumours of its sale.

Residents of Nether Poppleton say they are concerned for the future of The Lord Nelson in Main Street, after receiving confirmation that the owners Enterprise Inns are considering selling it.

Paul Frost is a regular in the pub and said following the retirement of a longstanding tenant, he hoped the new staff would be given a fair chance to make their mark on the pub.

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He said: "A new man and his family took over and frankly have been hoodwinked into it as Enterprise Inns have put it on the market. Rumour has it there's a considerable amount of land behind the pub.

"The new guy's making a real good go of it. He's a young chap, made a considerable effort on the food side and working his socks off to get the pub back up to full capacity."

The pub was made an asset of community value earlier this year, and James Mackman, clerk to Nether Poppleton Parish Council, said the local community could come together to retain the Lord Nelson as a pub.

He said: "We were told that Enterprise Inns were putting it on the market. Whether they want to sell it to a brewery or to a developer I don’t know.

"The parish council doesn’t have any intention to run a pub but it has organised a meeting at the pub to see if there’s any interest in the community for a group to get together. The meeting will be on June 5."

A spokeswoman from Enterprise Inns Publican Partnerships said: "We are currently considering options for the Lord Nelson, Nether Poppleton, and will conclude our review in the very near future. We are aware of its Asset of Community Value (ACV) status."

A public meeting will be held at the pub on June 5 at 7pm to discuss its future, and what the public can do to support the pub.