A pub in Great Yarmouth will be closing after applying to have the site converted into two units.
The owners of The Cask and Craft, John and Jenny Burroughs, have taken the difficult decision with a view to retiring after 42 years in the pub trade.
Mr Burrows, 73, said he would have liked to sell on the pub in Northgate Street, commonly known by its former name the Apollo Tavern, but he was unable to do so in the current climate.
He said: “Unfortunately we can’t sell the pub, because banks won’t lend anyone any money, so we haven’t really got a lot of choice.
“Obviously we would have preferred to have sold it, that was supposed to be our pension, but we can’t. So we are trying to divide it up into a couple of units that will bring us rental income.”
Mr Burrows said he and his wife were ready to “sit back and relax and not fill in any paperwork” after working seven days a week for so many years, with the decision made easier by the declining nature of the industry.
He said: “The pubs trade isn’t as good as it used to be - 42 years ago it was a bit different. Back then I was selling beer at 25p a pint.
“The problem is now with every pint I sell I have to hand over 60p to the VAT man, and you can go to Tescos and buy a pint for less than that.
“But the demise was definitely started by the smoking ban.
“People are all getting these man caves now, so you can have four or five blokes smoking cigars and cigarettes to their heart’s content and we’re not allowed to have it.
“It’s a shame. We’re sorry to our lovely customers that we have got but unfortunately there just aren’t enough of them, that’s the problem.”
Mr Burrows, whose first pub was The Spread Eagle in Norwich, also thinks society as a whole is shifting away from pub culture.
He said: “When I was younger we all went to the pub at lunchtime and had a pint and went to back work. Nowadays you’d get the sack so it has killed the lunchtime trade.
“The whole society has changed really. I think community pubs are on their way out because it is an age thing. When my age group all pop off, the younger people aren’t used to going to pubs.
“So unless you’re a destination pub or a food pub, I don’t think you’ve got much longer.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here