BREWING giant Carlsberg-Tetley has taken control of Burnley's crisis-hit Inn at the Wharf pub after it was crippled by unpaid debts.

The move helps unravel the mystery which has surrounded the popular canalside eating house since its sudden closure on Tuesday.

Stunned customers were told the shut-down was caused by a power cut. But today Carlsberg-Tetley revealed it had pulled the plug on the £1 million newly-renovated pub.

In a brief statement, the company said: "The Inn at Burnley Wharf currently has a large outstanding debt to Carlsberg-Tetley which it has been unable to pay.

"The Inn was put up as security on the loan, so Carlsberg-Tetley has taken possession until the situation is resolved."

A spokeswoman declined to elaborate and said she could give no indication at this stage when the pub was likely to reopen.

Meanwhile, alleged unpaid bills have prompted another creditor to seek a county court order against The Inn, a former builders' merchants building which opened under a year ago after extensive renovation. A supplier to the pub contacted the Lancashire Evening Telegraph to say he was seeking a county court judgment over money he claimed he was owed.

Police were called at 3pm on Tuesday but said it was only to avoid a breach of the peace and expected any dispute to be solved by civil action.

The pub, off Manchester Road, is leased from British Waterways to a Judith McFarland-Davidson and the landlord is Paul Earle.

It has still to reopen and yesterday the phone was answered by a woman who refused to comment.

The former owner of the pub, Stephen Robinson, sold his lease to Carousel Leisure in March, but no-one from the company, which is said to be based at the pub, was available for comment.

Mr Robinson's accountants, Kingsley Brooke Simmons, of Bolton, said they no longer had an interest in The Inn, they were just instrumental in bringing together Mr Robinson and Carousel Leisure.

Watling Street Inns, a subsidiary of the Yates's Wine Lodge group, was set to buy the lease this week but a spokesman said the deal fell through on Wednesday.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.