NEW landlords are again being sought for a village public house with a chequered history near Wellington.

The Prince of Wales Inn, in Holcombe Rogus, is to close again on Saturday (September 26) as the couple who have run it for the past two years move on.

Paul Cross and Niki Mitten took over the pub in 2024, after it had closed during the Covid pandemic.

They saw the 19th century inn as ‘a great opportunity’ to be ‘part of the hub of the community’.

Now, they will finish trading on Saturday and are offering free food with offers on all their drinks to mark the occasion.

In a statement on social media the couple said: “Unfortunately, we do not know what the future holds for the Prince of Wales, so come on in and enjoy our last night with us.”

The pub was saved in 2023 when it was bought by investor James Collins following an unsuccessful effort by residents to raise £500,000 to buy it and run it as a community enterprise.

Tom Critchley, who chaired the community fund-raising committee, said on social media: “Maybe the solution will emerge from within the community.

“It will certainly be important to attract customers from further afield if the ‘Prince’ is to prove sustainable in the long term.

“What has been made abundantly clear is more people from the village need to use the pub on a regular basis and that something, be it the food offer, entertainment, or whatever, needs to be focused on attracting people from outside the village into the pub on a regular basis for it to be truly sustainable.

“To point blame at the village for lack of support is largely uninformed, and it is to be hoped lessons learned over many years can be part of a truly sustainable future going forward.”