High costs force Northants village pub to close its doors

The story of The Bulls Head in Clipston is sadly a familiar one across the country with many venues having to shut down in the tough economic climate.

The pub said: “We tried, and we just can't keep doing it. Our time here will shortly come to an end. Near enough two years to the day of opening the doors at The Bulls Head, we are now having to step away.

“The reality is, it's just not financially viable anymore. Energy has increased, our rent has increased, the price of the beer is nothing short of ridiculous, the minimum wage increased significantly, NI contributions… just everything.”

The pub said it has tried many solutions to keep the business going.

“We put our prices up in line with the increase from our brewery, and it hurt your pockets,” they said.

“We changed our menu to make it affordable for everyone.

“We held live music events. Quiz nights, open mic nights. All of which have been extremely quieter than they used to be.

“In general, we were far from quiet, and the numbers still didn’t add up.

“We have ran out of options, and it hurts us just as much as it hurts you.

“We are sorry that there isn’t more notice, we needed to let our team know before anyone else.”

They went on the praise the “amazing quiz host” Tim, their “amazing staff” and their many regulars, adding: “You know who you are. The ones who really did support us, the ones who came in as often as they could.

“For the live music, on a cold Wednesday night, having Sunday lunch with us, our Wednesday lunch club, our Friday afternoon couple who were here every week, our daily crowd of drinkers, our weekend drinkers, you all know who you are. We will miss you.

“We will of course assist the brewery to get someone in as soon as possible, and ask for you to come and see us, ask us, don't be wondering, or gossiping, just come and see us.

“Clipston and the amazing people of it, will always hold a special place in our hearts.”