Licensees ordered out after £20,000 refurb
A pair of licensees are refusing to quit the pub they have spent £20,000 renovating despite impending legal action by owner Enterprise Inns.
Stephen Crake and Paul Sloane were in the middle of rent negotiations with Enterprise on the White Lion Hotel in Brampton, Cumbria, when they were told a lease had been agreed with another party and given four days to leave.
That was five weeks ago and the pair, who have been in the pub with a tenancy-at-will agreement since December, are still not budging.
They say they ploughed money into the dilapidated pub in "good faith", and had alerted the pubco that they wished to stay on.
"We didn't refuse the rent and we still don't - we were trying to get a better deal. Enterprise then came to us and said bugger off, we've got someone else," said Crake.
They hoped to agree lower rent due to the cash they had spent improving the pub's condition - it had been closed for two months when they took it on. But no compensation for renovation works has been offered.
"We stand to lose £20,000 and be left without a business. We are enraged. We have no intention of coming out," said Crake.
"We've done nothing wrong. We've spruced it up, got it trading well and are well received by the locals. We don't know where they have come from with this."
The pair replaced broken bottle coolers, outside lights and toilet fans because they claim Enterprise said there was no budget for the works.
They also replaced missing catering equipment and renovated rundown letting rooms.
Enterprise has stopped supplying goods and drawing rent for the property and has threatened to sue the pair for loss of earnings.
In a statement, Enterprise said: "As legal proceedings have now been instigated, it would be inappropriate for us to comment on any specific matters.
"Clearly there is an alternative interpretation of the facts surrounding this case and we do not take any legal action lightly.
"In these circumstances we are satisfied that we are taking the right course of action from both a legal and moral perspective."
