A POPULAR pub and brewery in York is set to close from its site of 23 years and relocate.

York Brewery’s operations in Toft Green, York, will be temporarily relocated as its owners seek a new site within the city.

The Press reported last year that York Brewery had been saved from closure after the Toft Green site and three other pubs were bought as part of a £2.1 million deal by The Black Sheep Brewery company.

However, Black Sheep chairman Andy Slee said that "despite wanting to maintain brewing in the city of York and our best efforts, a lack of a timely agreement between the landlord of the building and Black Sheep has led to a temporary relocation of equipment and people to our site at Masham".

Mr Slee added that the brewery was due to close by June 21 and that a few redundancies would be made.

However, he said the company was actively seeking a new site within York and had already appointed property agents to secure a suitable location.

He added: “We have been reviewing the jobs associated with York Brewery and we are pleased that the merger has been able to support the maintenance of all but a handful of the roles and that larger-scale job losses from the 40-plus staff have been avoided.

“The three pubs are working well.

“This interim measure should not be for too long, a matter of months, as we have several other locations in York under active consideration for York Brewery, and have appointed agents to deal with the matter.

“As new owners, we want to maintain as much consistency to the business as possible.

“But the long-term future of the products and brands is safe.”

The York Brewery has operated as a well-known pub in York for more than 20 years, having set up at the Toft Green premises in 1996.