THE Fern Ticket - the last true pub in Cinderford town centre - has closed after a showdown between the owner and the licensees.

Marion Baker, owner of the pub, says she had no option but to close it down last week in order ‘to safeguard its future’.

But she maintains she aims to re-open The Fern Ticket with new tenants as soon as possible, following refurbishments and ‘a rethink’.

Mrs Baker said: “The licensing authority called me to a meeting and showed me a list of incidents that had been reported and logged – covering both sides of a sheet of A4– that they said threatened the future licence unless I took action.

“They clearly saw it as a problem pub and I was worried that if it lost its licence it might never get it back.”

She says the five-year lease clearly states that the tenants mustn’t do anything to jeopardise the licence.

On that basis, Marion says she took back the pub on Friday accompanied by two licensing officers and two police officers, forcing out the tenants James Stevens and Trevor Cooper.

The pair, who have been running The Fern Ticket since February, say they plan to fight the eviction. They argued that they have invested their savings into the business.