A PUB owner forced to close as a result of the pandemic and planning upset insists more support is needed at a local level for other businesses in the county to survive.

The Black Bull, on Wark Main Street, announced it was to close at the end of January, citing ‘significant delays’ and ‘overwhelming objections’ in relation to a planning application which were compounded by the impact of Covid-19.

Now publican Alexandra Haley, who was born in the village, has opened up on fears for the future of the sector.

She said: “We’ve found during the pandemic the level of support just hasn’t been there. If we’re struggling, I think there’s going to be a lot of other people who are too. We’re probably the first of quite a lot of these places which will be going under.

“All of this on the television saying ‘we support local businesses’ – it’s not coming through at a local level. Rishi Sunak has been fantastic in terms of trying to help businesses, but unless that comes through our local council at Northumberland business are going to shut.

“We’re devastated. We held on as long as we could and it’s a real shame for the village.

“In rural communities, the pub trade has been hard going for a long time. This has just been the extra kick that has sealed the fate for a lot of people.

“What I want is for local government to understand that we need help.

“My concern is when the furlough scheme ends, there’s going to be a blood bath because that’s the thing keeping people afloat. People will be forced to make the decision to close or face financial ruin. I don’t want someone else to suffer the same fate.

“Every single person has to take responsibility for their community. We all have to help each other.”

The North Tyne pub, hotel and restaurant has been a mainstay in the village for nearly 300 years and there are growing fears its sister pub, the Grey Bull Inn, may also suffer the same fate.

The pub’s request for planning – which cost ‘hundreds of thousands of pounds’ – was met with ‘reluctance’.

Alexandra added: “Covid’s been horrendous but the lack of support from the planning department and local councillors has really been the thing we’ve succumbed to.

“We’ve invested as much as we can – £100k in the past year, we can’t continue unfortunately.

“The planning regulations have to change, there needs to be more support for businesses who are trying to create jobs and wealth.

“There’s just so much red tape, it’s just impossible. You’re fighting a losing battle before you’ve even started.”

A Northumberland County Council spokesperson responded, saying: "We know that this has been an extremely difficult time for many businesses and that Covid-19 restrictions have hit the hospitality industry particularly hard.

"As a council, we have been doing everything that we can to support Northumberland businesses - providing information and advice on how to operate safely when pubs were able to open and already administering over £40million worth of grants for businesses that have had to close or been severely impacted. Our Business Hub team are available to give advice, guidance and support to any business in Northumberland and we urge business owners to get in touch with us.

"Our planning team has been working with the business owner to try to achieve a positive outcome for their current planning application. We always look to support proposals for developments which improve existing businesses and fully acknowledge the benefits that they can bring. At the same time, we must ensure that proposals are appropriate for their location and as the current application stands, we feel that it is too large, will have an adverse effect on nearby residents and that there will be insufficient car parking. If amended proposals were submitted, we would be more than happy to consider these."

A decision on the current planning application has not yet been issued.