A POPULAR pub in Salisbury has closed down with its manager saying "things have just become too tough" for the business to prosper or even just continue.

Deacons in Fisherton Street closed last Monday night with Tom Symes posting a note on the front door saying it was "with great sadness" that the pub was closing for the foreseeable future.

Colin Burden, who worked as a part-time barman at Deacons for more than 20 years, said: "I think people had been expecting it but it was still quite a surprise that it happened so quickly.

"It was a very good local pub and it was very busy at weekends. It was a freehouse, it had very competitive prices and a really good atmosphere.

"I run a theatre company but worked there two days a week on-and-off for 22 years and it's very strange not to go there after all that time.

"I think a lot of the regulars who came in everyday are finding it very difficult - it's never been shut before.

"I hope it will reopen - I think the owner Frank Keay might do some bits and pieces inside and look at finding someone else who can take it over."

Vicky Charles, a customer at the pub, said it was "a sad day for Salisbury".

She said: "Deacons wasn’t just a pub; it was a community. If someone hadn’t been seen for a few days, people would notice and go and check on them. If someone was ill, people in the pub would ask the bar staff if they’d heard anything.

"It’s all very well having your posh, shiny chain pubs with cheap beer and uniformed staff - but every town and city has those. It’s places like Deacons that make Salisbury what it is, and it’s a crying shame to see them go out of business."

In the note posted on the front door, Tom said: "Thank you to everyone that came in and supported us over the years, without you we would not have survived this long."