A pub in Foulridge has closed its doors “permanently” and energy bills are partially to blame.

The Hare and Hounds, in Skipton Old Road, closed on March 6 and the future of the venue is currently unknown.

In a statement, a spokesperson for ProPubs, which managed the venue for four years, said it will now be focusing its time and attention on its other venues, The Crown Hotel in Colne and the Anchor Inn in Salterforth.

The statement said: “Unfortunately due to a number of reasons, we have decided to close our doors permanently.

“We would like to thank all our customers, old and new, for their support over the years.

“Although The Hare and Hounds has been great to us over the years, we feel our resources and efforts will be better spent on our other two venues.

“Our team will be moving over to The Crown Hotel, Colne, where food is set to be launched this weekend and we have a fantastic Mother’s Day menu for Sunday.

“We hope you can join us at one of our other venues as we close the door and this chapter and move onto the next.

“We’ve had some great times over the years, including all the guys we started this journey with, all the best!”

Tom Davies, who lived at the pub and was also managing director of ProPubs, said the pub was facing £14,000 energy bills and this was the quote for just three or four months of the year.

He said: “There was a catalogue of problems leading up to this point but the final straw for us was the final utility bill, which has made the pub no longer viable.

"Energy companies are killing the industry.

“We have two other great venues in the area that are growing but the Hare and Hounds has become stagnant.

“Many people loved the pub and the food but I think [it wasn’t in an ideal location].

“I feel like if we were to continue with the venue it would drag down the group, which we don’t want to happen.”

Tom said the future of the venue is unknown, at this stage.

He said: “We want to focus all of our energies on the Crown Hotel and the Anchor Inn.

"We have relaunched The Crown and the food is back on.  We have moved our catering team and a lot of staff here. We are rebuilding this pub back to its former glory.

“The Anchor Inn is doing really well and the village is behind it. The start of the year has been outstanding in terms of sales.

“We don’t know what will happen to the venue, it may well get passed on to a new operator but we are not sure at this stage.

Tom said it is a “tough time” in the industry right now.

He said: “It is sad to see so many pubs closing.

“It was a tough decision but it’s for the best. The team met on Monday and we said I didn’t see a future for the company anymore.

“Communities need to get behind their local pubs because if they don’t they won’t be around for much longer.

“We have some great memories and we want to thank customers who have said they will support us at other venues.”