A 17th Century pub which has been closed for more than a decade has been put up for sale for £220,000, but locals who' ve been campaigning to save it say the price is too high.

The Travellers Rest pub in Skeeby, near Richmond, closed in 2008. Since then the owner property developer Jon Whitfield has applied for planning permission to turn it into a residence which was turned down by Richmondshire district council planning committee, an appeal against refusal was also turned down by an inspector in 2017.

People in the village formed the Skeeby Community Pub Society to campaign and raise funds to buy the property to run as a community pub. They say they're confident they can run it sustainably.

Now the pub has been advertised for sale for £220,000 on facebook. The details say: "17th Century stone Public House. The pub has been closed for 10yrs and during this time the property has undergone a significant amount of major refurbishment, requires internal 1st & 2nd fix to suit end user.

"A very unique and desirable property approx one mile on the outskirts of Richmond."

The pub society had been working with Richmondshire District Council to explore buying the pub through compulsory purchase.

District councillor William Heslop said campaigners had seen the advert but have thrown doubts on how serious a bid it is to sell the building.

He added: "There is a demand in the village for it but not at that price. The price he is asking is just unrealistic. It is a shell of a building, the pub has been closed for years. We value it at a lot less than that.

"You need a willing seller and a willing buyer to make a deal and that isn't what you have here."

The pub society had been working towards raising £150,000 for the building which has in the past been declared an asset of community value which restricts what can be done with it. The pub society has also been working with the Plunkett Foundation which provides business community support.

The owner who is understood to be from Hartlepool could not be contacted. In 2016 councillors were told by his representative that a buyer could not be found for the property which had been advertised at £265,000 in 2011 and reduced to £175,000 in 2014.