A PUB landlady said a struggling industry was the reason behind shutting up shop.

Nicky Royle, of the Red Lion in Dalton, is preparing to pull her last pint, saying a downturn in pub drinking was to blame.

Mrs Royle and her husband Dru have been in charge at the Market Street pub since 2014 and are set to leave at the end of their tenancy later this month.

The pub has been for sale for the past year but pub chain and brewer Greene King, who own the building, have not received a satisfactory offer.

No-one has come forward to take over the running of the pub, meaning it will close before the end of the month.

She said she would miss the pub dearly but would step away from the industry amid a difficult climate.

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Mrs Royle said: “The pub industry is really struggling.

“People used to go round town on pub crawls but it seems like fewer and fewer of them are doing it now.

“It’s really sad it’s come to this.”

The Royles will see off their time at the pub with a leaving party on August 17. The pub will have its final day of trading the day after.

Dalton mayor Nick Perie said: “I will be sad to see one of the oldest pubs in Dalton possibly close. Talking to locals, the pub trade is down and the drinking patterns have changed with the different generations but this is a national issue not just local.

Councillor Wendy Maddox said: “We will miss that pub.

“More people are staying at home to drink now but there still pubs in Dalton that are doing really well.”