'We're being put out on the street': Couple who run village pub are 'kicked out' by 'heartless' brewery and given just SEVEN DAYS to find new home

A couple who run and live in a popular village pub have been left devastated after the brewery that owns it fired them - and gave them just SEVEN days to leave.

Stunned Mark and Wendy Richards face being made both homeless and jobless after abruptly losing control of the New Greyhound Inn in Billesdon, Leicestershire.

Fuming Mr Richards, 58, who has been a publican for 35 years, said: 'We're being kicked out without any real reason and virtually no notice.

'We've been given a week to go with vacant possession. It is ruthless, heartless and absolutely brutal.'

Likening the brewery's decision to something more reminiscent of Dickensian Britain, the father-of- two said: 'We're being put out on the street and we'll be there with our begging bowl.'

Marston's brewery, which owns over 1,000 UK pubs, is adamant that the decision is fair as they couple have not met income targets and have been informed of this - but the Richards say they have turned the pub around since they took it over 11 months ago, doubling income and adding many new features like food.

Wendy, 63, added: 'It is a disgusting way for the brewery to treat people who work all hours to run their pubs.

'We have worked so hard here to turn this place around.

'It is bitterly disappointing and should not be allowed.'

The couple are reluctantly preparing for the final countdown to their departure next Tuesday (March 05).

Mrs Richards explained: 'It's D-day and many of our regulars are vowing to come down to the car park when Marston's evict us and form a picket line with deck chairs to stop them coming in!

'If only. Our customers have been so sweet and supportive to us and are as gutted as we are.

'We're absolutely overwhelmed by people's well wishes and kind words. Billesdon is a truly special place and we will miss it dreadfully.'

In another blow to the Richards, on top of losing their business and home, a new publican - yet to be unveiled - is set to take over the country boozer

Marston's - whose head office is in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire - has already been advertising the post to replace them permanently - and has a temporary landlord lined up.

The brewing giant states in the ad: 'The New Greyhound would benefit from a traditional landlord/lady who can adapt and integrate into village life, who can bring the pub back into the heart of the community.'

Many locals and regulars of the popular rural pub have supported the couple.

One, Rachel Toach, wrote on their social media pages: 'What a shame. We really liked how you were both developing the pub with discos, pool, quiz nights, take away pizza, coffee, cakes and delicious chicken burgers.

'Every time I came in I was made to feel welcome and comfortable. Always a friendly face and a warm welcome. Thank you both Wendy and Mark for trying so hard to turn the pub around.'

She added: 'I'm disappointed in Marston's decision and feel you both had much more to offer the village and local community if you'd only been given the time to prove this.'

Another, Rolf Schlemmer, said: 'They shouldn't be able to treat people like that.'

Customer Jonathan Unna, 70, (crct) told MailOnline: 'They have been treated very harshly and very shoddily.'

The chartered surveyor, who has lived in the village on the outskirts of Market Harborough, for 38 years, said he finds the breweries actions inexplicable.

He said: 'It has been well run and the couple are so personable and welcoming but it appears the brewery don't think they are the right people and we are all baffled.

'They have cleaned up the pub and it's now nice and friendly and it's the best it has ever been.'

Illustrator Rachel Kind-Gurney, 46, said that once the Richards took over 'it picked up and their enthusiasm, I found it electric.

'They suddenly started doing things, there was food and takeaways and themed nights, and they were really making a go of it.

'We have no idea what the brewery thought they were doing wrong, we are very shocked.

'I think Marston's have left a huge void.

'The turned it from a failing pub into a successful one, and it is a community hub where you can go alone or with a group of people.

'They will be missed by many.'

Former club DJ Mr Richards and his wife took over the ailing boozer - their second with Marston's after running Cromwells in Huntington, Cambridgeshire, on March 13 last year.

They spend 'many thousands of pounds' of their own money doing up the pub and had anticipated a minimum five year agreement they hoped would stretch to 10.

The disheartened publican said: 'It was a great job. You'd work a 100-hour week, it was full on but you could earn £100,000 a year.

'And now it's being taken away from us and we have no idea why.'

He believes they had doubled the profit of the once struggling pub, saying: 'On a good week you were bringing in £2,000 and we were congratulated by the brewery.

'They told us last summer we were smashing it and we were the right people for the right pub.'

His wife told how they had re-kitted the pub at their own expense, buying new furniture and fittings and putting in a pool table, and had also installed a new kitchen with a pizza oven.

She explained: 'We are being made homeless, we have nowhere to go, so we are giving all our furniture to a charity, and keeping just our clothes and a few belongings.

'The kitchen we re-fitted is being ripped out on Monday and sold to a commercial catering supplier.

'All our frozen food will have to be thrown away.'

Grandmother Mrs Richard said: 'As from next week we will have no home, no job and no income. It is a dire situation to be in and we don't know what we will do. We are gutted.'

'We have family but they have their own commitments and no spare rooms.'

The couple were summoned to an urgent meeting on Tuesday (Feb 27) by the company's area manager.

Mr Richards told MailOnline: 'She turned up at our pub in the morning with a colleague, saying 'I'l make this nice and quick. We want vacant possession within seven days. It's just not working.'

'We were shocked, absolutely flabbergasted. There had been no prior warning and we still don't know why. She didn't elaborate.

'We're furious at the brewery for doing this out of the blue and we have still been given no reason. It was too short notice.

'We have monthly business development meetings but there were no warning signs. It is absolutely mental.

'We've had a blast in our short time here and made some good friends amongst our customer and we will be very sad to go.

'This was our dream job until our retirement. We had wanted to stay here for 10 years.

'The area manger was ruthless, she had no empathy, and we have no idea what the pub's agenda is.

'It's staying open with a new person stepping into our shoes and who will benefit from the business we have generated for the brewery. It is very unfair.

'We're literally being put out on the street and we'll be there with our begging bowl.'

He explained: 'The pub used to have a bad reputation for drugs and under age drinking issues

The couple, who employed two young part time staff they have had to let go, told how their customers had shown 'overwhelming support and sympathy towards them.

Mr Richards said: 'The locals are telling us not to leave and to lock the doors but we have to go, otherwise we are just delaying the inevitable.

'We are between the devil and the deep blue sea.'

The village has one other pub, where co-incidentally the landlord of many years is also called Mark Richards, as well as a corner shop, doctor's surgery and primary school.

Outgoing Mr Richards said: 'It is a charming village - a bit like TV's Midsomer but without the murders.'

His wife said they had attracted a range of customer from teens to OAP's aged 90, and 'at weekends the pub is always buzzing.

'The village is quite affluent with a number of professional people and retirees living here.'

To their loyal locals she said: 'Thanks for you warm welcome when we arrived and your generous support throughout. We will miss you all.

'Running a pub is hard work, it's not just a job, it's a lifestyle which we love.'

Marston's - described as the UK's 'leading independent brewing and pub retail business' and at 'the heart of the thriving local communities - confirmed it was evicting the pair.

An operation director said: 'This news should not have come as a surprise.

'Our concerns and a plan of action were minuted in a meeting with the company in Nov 2023.

'The licensee has cancelled several meetings since that date making it impossible to resolve those concerns and In turn causing a breakdown in the relationship.'

And a company spokesperson confirmed that the pub intended to be opening the same day as the publicans are being kicked out and he hoped it would be 'business as usual.'

He said: 'We have no new landlord or lady as yet but we have a holding manager who will be opening the pub on Tuesday.'

But the couple say they had only cancelled one meeting - in January due to sickness.

Mrs Richards said: 'We let the area manager know that we couldn't make that meeting because we were both unwell.

'There had been a bout of Covid going around the village and while we kept the pub open we stopped doing food for a short time as my husband is the cook.

'They emailed a message with a date for the next meeting on February 27 which is when we were suddenly told to leave.

'In the meeting prior to that in December no concerns were raised about us running the pub and there had been no complaints. During that meeting we were discussing promotions for the New Year.