The Sportsman Inn Morley: Managers of Leeds pub given notice to quit despite insisting venue is busy

Last month, David Holmes and Melanie Robinson vowed not to “back down” after being told they would be losing the business by pub group Admiral Taverns, but have now been given a notice to quit informing them their tenancy will not be renewed. In a statement provided to the Yorkshire Evening Post, Admiral Taverns said the decision to put the pub up for sale was made because The Sportsman “did not have a long-term sustainable future”.

However, David has insisted the pub has been busy and that they have even been asked to order more beer in. He said: "We were told we should get a beer order because we have a busy pub. We sent pictures of how busy the pub is on a weekend. We don't want to get loads of beer when we don't know what's going on. They can see how many pints we pull through.”

David and Melanie have three young children and speaking to the Yorkshire Evening Post last month, said they were dreading having to look for somewhere new to live. The couple also said they were devastated for their loyal customers. Regular customer Steve Hitchcock said: “The pub is a proper little local pub, with a very diverse range of people that go in it. It’s got a community spirit.”

A spokesperson for Admiral Taverns said: “We are strong believers in the importance of community pubs and our focus is always on helping our licensees to run sustainable pub businesses. After careful consideration however, we felt in this instance that The Sportsman Inn did not have a long-term sustainable future and therefore we took the decision to put the pub up for sale.

"We have informed our current licensees that we will not be renewing the tenancy at the end of their contractual agreement which ends on the 9th of March. We wish to thank David and Melanie for their hard work during their time at the pub."