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The Red Lion, left, with the Unicorn over the road

AN award-winning pub landlord and brewery owner trying to purchase an historic pub in the heart of Melksham have been told they can only buy it if they promise not to run it as a public house.

Enterprise Inns, which owns the 17th century Red Lion in The City near the Cooper Avon Tires factory in Bath Road, has placed a covenant on the sale of the pub saying it cannot be run in direct competition with The Unicorn just across the road, which it also owns.

The Campaign For Real Ale (CAMRA) has condemned the closure of the Red Lion, as it believes Enterprise is trying to sell it off for housing to get a higher price for the property.

CAMRA estimates that 57 pubs are closing each month in the UK, of which 33 per cent are being converted into houses.

Gordon King, of the Box Steam Brewery, near Colerne, and Ken Roberts, who owns the award-winning pub The Cross Guns at Avoncliff and The Inn at Freshford, approached estate agents Kavanaghs with an offer for the Red Lion earlier this month.

Despite being told by Kavanaghs that their offer was the highest, they were turned down because they wanted to continue to run the Red Lion as a public house.

Mr King said: "We were told that any buyer needs to sign up to say they won't operate it as a pub or restaurant or anything that competes with their other pub, The Unicorn.

"This means that it will only be able to be sold as either shops or housing. It's worrying that these pub groups have such force that they can dictate what happens to these buildings even when they've sold them."

Since the offer, Enterprise Inns have forbidden Kavanaghs from talking to either Mr King or Mr Roberts and told them to contact the company directly.

But despite leaving numerous messages at Enterprise Inns' offices in Solihull they have been unable to speak to anyone directly and finally managed to fax a copy of their offer through.

The company told the Wiltshire Times back in February that it was selling the pub because of a lack of customer support and that they would always consider all serious offers' for their pubs.

But the spokesperson could not explain why they had only advertised it for sale in local estate agents and not in any trade magazines for the pub industry.

Mr King added: "We didn't even know it was for sale until we heard about the CAMRA campaign."

Richard Putley, of the north west Wiltshire branch of CAMRA, said: "CAMRA urges people to write to their MP about the loss of this pub and how Enterprise have prevented a competitor from threatening their near monopoly in the town."

Enterprise Inns declined to comment further to the Wiltshire Times.

7:27pm Thursday 27th March 2008

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