'Help yourself' note left by absent licensees

The licensees of a Lincoln pub have left the business they took over just 16 months ago.

Simon Hollingsworth and Nick Snookes opened gay bar Christopher's in Newland, Lincoln in June last year.

But the bar's owner, brewery Admiral Taverns, says it has not been able to get in touch with the duo since last weekend.

The pub was open for business as usual last Friday night and a sign welcoming punters to "help yourselves" was taped up over the bar with a smiley face.

But by Monday morning all the sound systems, bar optics and speakers, which belonged to Mr Hollingsworth and Mr Snookes, had been removed from the property.

Area manager of the brewery, Mark Lonsdale, said: "We had no idea they planned to leave.

"We haven't been able to get hold of either man since they left the property vacant. Both their phone numbers appear to have been disconnected."

According to the Chester-based brewery, Mr Hollingsworth and Mr Snookes had kept them in the dark about mounting financial problems when they took the bar on.

"At the moment it's in the hands of the solicitors and their debt for rent is rising as we speak. They still owe us large sums of money. We have assessors going into the property next week to see how much will be needed for the repairs where they have removed items owned by them."