VILLAGERS are being urged to form a co-operative to take over a Pendle pub which has been put up for sale for £195,000.

A group of Boulsworth Conservative councillors have urged local people to take over the Emmott Arms in Laneshawbridge, which closed two weeks ago.

Coun Paul White, great-grandson of former landlord Cec Ellis, said: “It’s the only place here in the village for people to meet.

“It’s more than just somewhere to drink and eat, it’s a community hub, providing the only opportunity many local people get to meet each other and socialise.

“These pubs are a vital part of our community, even more so out in villages and we cannot stand by and watch our rural services dwindle away.

“The idea of a co-operative seems to work very well in other parts of the country, and so we’re hoping there’s enough momentum to start this up.

“The building has got five bedrooms and it’s going fairly cheap at £195,000.

"You couldn’t really buy a house for that money in this village.”

The pub was part of the Enterprise Inns group and has had three landlords in the last 18 months.

The councillors say that if their plans take off, they would look into developing the pub into a bigger community resource.

Coun White added: “We would look at what else we could offer.

"We lost the village shop recently, and so there’s a possibility we could include a shop element there too.”

Anyone interested in finding out more about the idea is asked to email Coun White on paul.white@pendle.gov.uk