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Campaigning landlord forced to close his pub

Mon 8th Mar, 2010 • Plymouth Herald

A landlord who has been a leading voice in the industry for nearly two decades last night made the heartbreaking announcement that he was shutting  his pub – and warned many others would soon follow. Steve Scarff, chairman of the South West Licensed Victuallers Association, told staff and customers that The Mermaid, the pub he has run in the Eggbuckland area of Plymouth for 17 years, would close its doors from today. When the smoking ban was introduced in 2007, business at the Mermaid dropped off by 38 per cent, despite introducing canopies to the beer garden. The Tories say that nearly 3,700 local pubs have closed since Labour came into power.Shadow housing minister Grant Shapps said the Prime Minister had “pushed local community pubs to the wall”.

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