A CAMPAIGN has been started to save another prominent Great Yarmouth pub from being closed and converted into a textile business.A 700-signature petition has been collected by the licensees of the Anson Arms in Southtown Road calling for the pub to be saved from conversion into flats and offices.

A CAMPAIGN has been started to save another prominent Great Yarmouth pub from being closed and converted into a textile business.

A 700-signature petition has been collected by the licensees of the Anson Arms in Southtown Road calling for the pub to be saved from conversion into flats and offices.

Owner Enterprise Inns has agreed to sell the pub to a developer, meaning the last pints will be pulled on May 2.

It will join a long list of boozers forced to close during the last few years.

Earlier this month, Peter Jermy, 64, landlord of the Burton Arms in Howard Street North told the Mercury he was closing the pub he had run for the last 40 years to spend more time with his family. He said the recession and smoking ban were factors in his decision to close later this year as his trade had been slashed by 30pc since the downturn began.

Instead, he will be converting the Burton Arms, which he owns, into a house for his family and himself by adding an extra bedroom and converting the bar into a children's play area and dining room.

The list of closed pubs includes the White Horse and Cap and Gown in Gorleston, which has already been demolished to make way for 15 new homes, while the White Horse has been earmarked for similar developments.

The licensees of the Anson Arms declined to comment further on the setting up of the petition