Customers rally around to try and save local pub

The pub, on Cambridge Terrace in Scarborough, has been serving customers for 60 years

Customers at a North Yorkshire pub are clubbing together to try to save the well-known venue from closure.

The Cask Inn in Scarborough has been put up for sale by its owners, who are part of Heineken UK, with an asking price of around £350,000.

But loyal locals want to take over and run the hostelry themselves and have asked North Yorkshire Council to list it as an asset of community value to protect it.

A public meeting will be held at the pub, which has been running for about 60 years, on Friday night to discuss the issue.

Andrea Allison, who co-runs The Cask Inn, told BBC Radio York there was "shock" among the pub's regulars when news it had been put up for sale broke.

She said: "People were horrified that the place which, as one man put it, is not a pub but a family, was under threat.

"Nobody really knew what the future might hold. From that a couple of the guys set up a community group looking at the ways the pub might be saved."

Star Pubs and Bars say the cost of repairs linked to the venue didn't "fit" with its "business model"

Saxophone player Maeve Sutterby said she had been visiting the inn for almost a decade, dating back to her teenage years, adding that the venue had “truly inspired” her to keep playing.

She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): "Being able to watch and play with such incredibly talented musicians solidified my love for jazz.

“The Cask is so supportive of young musicians, encouraging us to play there as often as possible... and it’s amazing to have the opportunity to get involved with music in the local community.”

A spokesperson for Star Pubs and Bars, which owns the site, did not comment on residents’ concerns about whether any conditions would be attached regarding the future use of the building.

They noted that costs associated with repair works at the pub were “considerable and are not something that fit within our leased and tenanted business model”.

“In the meantime, the pub remains open and trading as usual and will do so for the foreseeable future,” the spokesperson added.

Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].