Pub workers stage protest over 'unpaid wages'

Demonstrators gathered outside The Bell Hotel, in Clare, on Saturday

A demonstration has been staged outside a historic pub in Suffolk by former employees who claim they have not been paid.

Ex-staff from The Bell Hotel, Clare, gathered outside the watering hole on Saturday, alongside suppliers and supporters.

They said bosses at the recently-reopened pub owed them wages, with some reportedly hundreds of pounds out of pocket.

The Bell, in Market Hill, has been contacted by the BBC for comment but has not responded.

The protesters gathered outside the pub at about 10:00 BST and held yellow placards which read "Staff still not paid".

The claims come after the pub, which had been closed since 2022, was taken over and reopened in July.

One woman said her 19-year-old daughter had been left more than £600 out of pocket and was "really upset" as a result.

She said: “She was saving before going to university but now she doesn't have any money, so it makes me feel quite angry, helpless and powerless.

Protesters during a previous demonstration outside The Bell

"It's really hard and devastating to watch because for most of them this has been their first experience of working life.

"So, we protested to make the community aware they have not been paid."

However, another resident said the ongoing protests and demand for payment was detrimental to those still working there.

He said: "The protests are impacting the current staff more because they are trying to get people to boycott everything, and that's not good.

"It could have an effect [on] their future wages. I'm not backing the pub, nor the people demanding wages. I am just backing the employees there that are worried."