8:00am Tuesday 13th December 2011
By Duncan Leatherdale
VILLAGERS who feared their 111-year-old local would close have taken matters into their own hands to ensure its survival – including reducing the amount of money flushed down the toilet.
Property developers Graham and Carolynne Hall have lived next door to The Victoria in Witton-le-Wear, near Bishop Auckland, County Durham, for 11 years.
Four weeks ago the couple bought the pub amid fears it could be shut down – following the national trend of pubs owned by large corporations.
The Victoria, believed to have been built in 1900, has been owned by a large brewery with a series of tenant landlords struggling to keep it open.
Over the past 18 months its fortunes have improved thanks to landlady Katherine Hutchinson and her partner, Cheryl Carson, but Mr and Mrs Hall feared it would only be a matter of time before the owners would try to squeeze more money out of the pub.
They have now bought it as a free house, meaning it is no longer limited to buying its alcohol from the brewery.
Mr Hall, who also owns the Black Swan in Staindrop, near Barnard Castle, said: “We are seeing it all over the place with these big breweries squeezing the pubs for every penny.
“The landlords can only buy from the brewery, which means they often end up paying a lot more than if they could get it off the open market.
Also, the more successful a pub becomes the more the landlords have to pay in rent, so it’s no wonder so many pubs are failing with all that pressure.”
The new owners have also started tackling their escalating utility bills by introducing more energy-efficient technology – including in the men’s lavatory.
Mr Hall said: “We have installed a stove which is really going to save on our power and are also bringing in water-free urinals.
“For each urinal, about 400,000 gallons of water is wasted every year, which equates to about £400, which we will now save.”
The pub has also introduced a loyalty card for regulars and several real ales, as well as becoming the new home for the village leek club, which has started up again after a six-year break.
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