THE Talbot Inn at Kempsey has shut its doors after the pub failed to make any money, according to its tenants.

Brian Hulme, Stephen Ballard and Nick Mossop sunk £70,000 into making the pub a success. But they have now walked away from the business to concentrate on their existing holdings.

Mr Hulme, who owns the successful Swan at Whittington pub, said: “It was no longer a viable business.”

The trio had closed the doors at the Talbot on Tuesday, October 14, six months to the day since they took over the pub. New menus and offers were introduced and the decor revamped but the pub struggled to cover overheads on top of a £42,000 annual rent.

Mr Mossop said: “We came in, did it up and I believe put the best decor of all our pubs in there with our usual high quality of food and it just didn’t work.” Mr Hulme said: “I’m not a quitter and not in the business of throwing away £70,000 but it was only going to go one way.

“You’ve got the two worst months of the year – October and November, and then after Christmas, January and February are slow.”

Another reason for the exit was the looming 21-year lease the partners would have had to sign with brewery Marstons.

The agreement would have left the partners with little room for manoeuvre in the midst of the financial downturn, according to Mr Hulme.

He said: “It’s been handed back to Marstons and they will have to look for new tenants.

“It’s the sort of place where if you have landlords willing to put 60 or 70 hours a week in it could work, but that isn’t the way we do things.”

The men already have a successful track record running pubs, including the King’s Head, in Sidbury, Worcester, and the Ewe and Lamb, near Bromsgrove.

Christmas Day bookings at the Talbot are now being honoured at the Swan at Whittington – which will open specifically for the occasion.