A HISTORIC pub near Portishead, which has been closed for the past six months, could be up and running again soon.

Enterprise Inns, owners of the White Hart in Weston-in-Gordano, have denied rumours that the country inn will become a Tesco Express.

A spokesman for Enterprise said: “We would like to reassure the residents of Weston-in-Gordano that we aim for the White Hart to resume trading very soon under interim management, while we continue to market the leasehold through Fleurets of Bristol.”

Tesco has also confirmed it has not expressed an interest in the property.

The White Hart, run by the Palomares family, closed in August 2013 when the lease expired.

At the time the tenants said the terms offered in the renewal of the lease were not acceptable and would have made it very difficult for them to make a living out of the business. That, and the addition of a new grandchild, was why they chose not to renew the lease.

In November, residents keen to safeguard the pub’s future applied to the local authority for it to be made an Asset of Community Value. This means that, if the building is sold, the community would be notified and given an opportunity to bid for it.

People living in the village say they are lost without their local and can’t wait for it to re-open.

Stuart Redway, aged 66, who has lived in Weston-in-Gordano for over 35 years, said: “The local pub is the heart of the community in our village. It was the main meeting place for the majority of residents.

“We will do all we can to support the re-opening of the White Hart, the day can’t come soon enough for us.”

More information about the tenure of White Hart can be found at www.fleurets.com