THERE will be no Christmas cheer at Liskeard's Old Stag Inn in Station Road after midnight on December 23.

The landlord and leaseholder, Jonathan Lucas, has decided to close the pub down and hand back the keys to owners Punch Taverns.

A Liskeard man born and bred, Mr Lucas, known to regulars as 'Joff', told the Cornish Times he was closing down with much reluctance.

'I have made the decision to cease trading due to personal family reasons coupled with the financial strain,' he said. 'Anyone trying to run a business in Liskeard and beyond will understand that. I have had some very loyal customers and I want to thank them for their support.'

Mr Lucas took on the lease of the pub next to the station in 2007, and celebrated his opening weekend by hiring famous band The Wurzels to entertain in the beer garden. He was also the first landlord in the town to organise a beer festival.

As well as being a pub landlord Mr Lucas still continued with his service in the Royal Navy based at HMS Drake. Eighteen months ago to help with the workload, he took on Kevin Ball as his designated premises supervisor and manager.

'The closure of The Old Stag will be a great shame and I will miss the customers,' said Mr Ball.

'I have known Joff since his grandma's days when she ran Mrs Moon's Sweet Shop on Bay Tree Hill. He is from a well-known family and wanted to put something back into his home town, but all the hard work he has been doing is not worth it if there is no return. It has been a privilege to work for him.'

Punch Taverns currently has another pub in the area, The Stag at St Cleer, which is open, but the company has it up for sale as a freehold property.

A spokesperson for Punch Taverns said: 'If the current licensee decides to leave the business, our priority would be to re-open it as soon as possible.'