'Did Facebook delete our pub because of its name?'

Julie and Lee Loach, who run the Black Bull, in Donington, spent years building a following on Facebook

The "devastated" owners of a pub say they have lost 80% of bookings after their Facebook page vanished without warning.

Julie and Lee Loach, who run the Black Bull, in Donington, Lincolnshire, spent years building a following of more than 8,500 people.

They do not know why the page was suddenly deleted, but suspect it was for copyright reasons because the pub has a common name.

Meta, Facebook's parent company, has been contacted for comment.

“It is an absolute travesty for the business,” Mrs Loach said. “It is like someone has died.

"There are other Black Bull pubs that have had their Facebook page pulled. I’m assuming it's something to do with copyright."

The pub, which is more than 450 years old, heavily relies on social media bookings

The couple, who provide lunch, dinner and afternoon teas, said four-fifths of their food bookings were taken on Facebook.

When the page disappeared on 8 September, the existing reservations went with it.

"I’ve lost bookings, inquiries, lots of contacts that are not yet finalised," Mrs Loach said. "I have no way of contacting anyone."

To make matters worse, she found it very difficult to contact the social media platform.

“We’re just a tiny little pinprick in their massive Facebook world,” she added.

Mr Loach said working in the hospitality sector was “hard enough” without “another kick in the teeth”.

He initially thought the page had been deleted by mistake.

“My wife was really distraught, panicking,” he added. “But I said, 'don’t worry they can’t just wipe it'.

"But they did.”

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