Wilts pub rescue bid

The north-west Wiltshire branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) has launched a campaign to stop the county's oldest pub being turned into cottages.

Enterprise Inns is selling off the Red Lion in Melksham and has put a covenant into the contract of sale to stop the site being used as a pub.

The Camra branch is urging its members and the public to protest to the local council and block planning permission for a change of use.

A local Camra campaign coordinator said: "Enterprise is trying to dispose of a pub that is a vital asset to the community. The company owns a lot of pubs in Melksham and the loss of this one will give them an unfair advantage and badly affect what beers are on offer. It's anti-competitive."

Gordon King, of the Box Steam Brewery, in Wiltshire, made the highest bid for the site - but was told by local agent Kavanaghs that his offer had been rejected because of the covenant and that the site had been sold to a

property developer.

He said: "If market forces mean that a pub has to close then that's a separate issue. For it to be forced out of service is unacceptable. It is a viable business - and this is proved by the fact that two parties bid for it with the intention of running it as a pub."

Planning applications have yet to be lodged for a change of use. A spokesperson for Enterprise Inns said: "We never sell any of our pubs without a lot of careful thought and consideration.

"Unfortunately, both Enterprise and a number of pub retailers have worked hard to make the pub business viable, but the level

of customer support locally has been insufficient to

allow this."