One Wivelsfield publican, who has been forced to put the pub's leasehold up for sale, is warning many inns will be forced out of business if the economic downturn continues.

In East Sussex 29 pubs are currently listed for sale on one property website with another 20 in West Sussex.

The Baldocks – two brothers, their sister and their partners – took over the Royal Oak in Wivelsfield as a joint family venture just over a year ago.

Now they have reluctantly taken the painful decision to put the leasehold on the market, hoping someone will join them in taking the business forward.

Nigel Baldock, partner and the pub's chef, said: "It's awful. This is down to the credit crunch. Pubs will go down and they won't be around any more. We have built up a good trade. But then we have had other factors."

Other factors hitting the pub trade include the smoking ban, fuel costs, and tighter margins on beer sales.

Licensees Chris and Deborah Bird, at the Half Moon in Balcombe, agree times are tough at the moment and are reviewing their options.

The lease on The Farmers in Scaynes Hill is also up for sale but landlord Christian Chinnery is now hoping to take the pub in a new direction.

He has appointed top London chef Rafael Carrillo to give the pub's new tapas bar menu, Edwardian English and A La Carte menus the 'X-factor'.

James Cuthbertson, of licensed and leisure PR firm Chartell Communications Ltd, based in Handcross, said the picture was not universally gloomy with enterprises such as Ansty-based Dark Star Brewery bucking the trend and expanding.

Read the full story in the Mid Sussex Times

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