A PUB manager has called on people to support their local, saying that “Once they are gone, they are gone”.

The call comes from Annmarie McCarthy who has run The Swan Inn in Barton Stacey since 2020.

The manager, who has run pubs up and down the country for more than 40 years, said: “The more you read, there are more pubs shutting, 68 per cent more this year than last year, and everyone is hanging on by their fingertips.

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“With places like Wetherspoons selling off a lot of their estate, they’re too expensive to run, we’ve got the energy bills to put up with. Unfortunately, people have just forgotten about the pandemic, it did an awful lot of damage to us and we’re struggling especially in the small village environment.

“People just don’t come out anymore.”

Hampshire Chronicle: Annmarie outside The Swan InnAnnmarie outside The Swan Inn (Image: Annmarie McCarthy)While Ms McCarthy, 67, said that The Swan Inn had not been affected as badly as other local pubs, and that it is not at risk of closing in the immediate future, she has still had to change how she runs the business in the face of rising costs.

She said: “If I get to about 9.30pm, 9.45pm on a Saturday night and I haven’t had anybody in for an hour I’ll close, because it costs more money to stay open and wait.

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“People at home can probably turn off their electricity or their heating at some point, but we can’t because we want the general public to come in and be comfortable and warm.”

Ms McCarthy told the Chronicle that she pays £1,000 per month for electricity, which will go up when her contract comes to an end next year. She also said that she estimates it costs approximately £85 per hour to keep the pub open, meaning that her opening hours have changed to times that she knows the pub will be able to make a profit."

She continued: “People need to support local businesses. Once the pubs are gone they are gone. How many pubs a month close? We are known for our traditional British pubs, but it feels like we have been abandoned.

“People have to use the village shop, they've got to use the village pub, otherwise they won't be there.”