The rural pubs crisis has left a North Yorkshire village without a local for the first time in many decades.

The Blacksmiths Arms at Husthwaite, near Easingwold, has been closed down by owners Pubmaster.

Now, villagers are facing a drive to Carlton Husthwaite or Easingwold if they want to go out for a drink - assuming they have a car.

Pubmaster says it has shut the pub because a series of landlords have been unable to make it profitable since the company bought it last year from another company, along with 600 other pubs. And it is now reviewing a number of options for the future of the building.

A spokeswoman said it could only reopen as a pub if a way could be found to make it profitable.

"Nobody can run a business at a loss," she added.

The closure has left villagers divided. Some, like Frank Fothergill, are deeply saddened, saying the village has lost an important meeting place where residents could go for a pint, a chat and a game of dominoes. He said he went there regularly with his son, Mark.

He thought "newcomers" to the village were largely to blame for The Blacksmiths' demise.

"There's a different class of people in the village," he said.

"Years ago, people would go to the local and have a pint. Now the newcomers stay at home with a bottle of wine."

But Pippa Bailey thought that years of under-investment in the pub was the primary problem, causing a spiral of decline.

"Ten years ago, people would drive to come here. The landlord did a good steak and salad and a menu of good quality food."

She said there had been numerous landlords since, but no investment.

"If they had been prepared to make an investment, perhaps with a conservatory at the back, it could have become profitable."

A change of beer away from John Smith's Brewery products had also deterred customers, she claimed.

Ruth Woodhead said: "It's very sad. I would like to see it stay open. It was very badly supported by the village."