Pub left without any beer

A Dorset pub has been left without any beer following a rent dispute with Punch Taverns.

Graham Smith of the New George Inn in Dorchester owes the pubco £4,800 in arrears and has allegedly been told there will be no more ale until he pays up.

Smith said he and wife Carole pumped around £80,000 into the property after taking it on two years ago to transform it from a "drug den" into a community local.

But he said he has been left with an empty pub since being able to serve only wine, spirits and soft drinks.

He said: "I'm the only pub in Dorchester with no beer. As soon as people know you're not going to serve pints, they go elsewhere.

"It's catch-22. I can't generate an income with no stock and I can't buy stock off anybody but Punch.

"We have lost everything that we've worked for. I'm nearly 40 and my wife is 50 and it's like we've just left school again - I had nothing then and I've still got nothing.

"If Punch would just cut us some slack, I'm sure we could work it out."

But the pubco said it had been working hard to help the pub boost business.

A spokesman for Punch Taverns said: "It is not in our interests to see our pubs fail and our aim is always to create long terms partnerships with our licensees.

"We have worked with the licensees at the New George Inn for over a year and supported them in a variety of ways including financial analysis and marketing initiatives to help them drive trade.

"We are passionate about our pubs and the relationships we have with our licensees."