Whole village in threat to boycott pub over landlords' Christmas eviction

Darren and Susie Harris-Hughes are set to be booted out of the Stag Inn pub in Wales this week after spending their own money to turn it around - and locals are fuming

Hundreds of locals have rallied around the owners of a beloved pub who could be out of the community boozer this week after their short tenure abruptly ended.

Darren and Susie Harris-Hughes left their life behind in Liverpool to transform the Stag Inn in July, which has since been dubbed the "heart" of the village of Cemaes, Wales. Suzie said they devoted all of their time to the pub and were shocked when they received a week's notice with Marston’s Brewery to quit the boozer.

Speaking about the shock announcement, she said: “We sold our three-bedroom semi in Liverpool to move into a flat above the pub. It was in need of renovation, which we paid for ourselves. My husband gave up his business as a decorator and, to support him at the pub, I left my senior leadership role in the care sector. It’s a fabulous community in Cemaes and we had a great reception. What’s happened since is beyond belief and we are determined to fight it all the way.”

The news angered regulars with customers vowing to boycott the pub and hold a protest outside. Dismayed villagers say Darren and Susie had “turned around” the pub in the five months since they sold their house to move to Anglesey. Within 24 hours of an online petition being launched, demanding Marston’s reconsider its decision, over 500 people had signed up – nearly a third of the village’s population.

Marston’s has been left baffled by the furore as it is understood the brewery believes the week-long notice period was mutually agreed. But Darren and Susie felt the decision was ”abrupt” and had come as a complete “shock”. According to the couple, grievances centred on the pub’s monthly stock takes, which revealed apparent discrepancies that left them mystified. Marston’s is believed to have attributed the dispute to a breakdown in working relationships unrelated to recent stock check results, reports North Wales Live.

Problems first arose, the couple said, during the September stock take, when a random sample of 25 products were checked. This found a shortfall of £1,600. “We were down 10 bottles of Jack Daniels, which is something we hadn’t even ordered,” said Susie. “We were also short of six bottles of Amaretto - this is not something that’s commonly drunk here, apart from in the summer perhaps when we get visitors coming in.”

The October stock check revealed a £1,200 shortfall. This time Darren and Susie said they requested - and were granted – a full stock take of their entire inventory, overseen by their area support manager. Undertaken five days later, this revealed a £1,100 surplus, said Susie. “How could that be the case? We’d not had any deliveries in the interim. We took photos of everything as we were getting extremely worried," she added.

November’s stock check was delayed until Monday, December 9. Darren and Susie were so alarmed they asked for the stock take to be videoed, to show they were doing everything correctly. They claimed to have alerted Marston's but when an independent auditor arrived, he refused to be filmed and the stock take was abandoned. A day later, the couple met a Marston’s manager and the notice period was set.

On Tuesday, December 17, they will move to their holiday home, a static caravan on a site near Abergele that will close in the New Year for annual maintenance. It is understood that Darren and Susie were never charged for any identified stock discrepancies during their five months running the pub. Nor was there any suggestion they would be liable for this cost. Initial stock discrepancies are not uncommon in the hospitality sector and issues are usually resolved on closer examination. Under privacy and data protection laws, auditors are within their rights to refuse to be videoed carrying out their work.

Posting the news on social media, Darren and Susie declared they were leaving “with heavy hearts”. The couple added: “We don’t want to leave this great pub, the wonderful village, and the amazing people we’ve had the pleasure of getting to know during our time here.” At the time the pub was closed as it was still without power in the wake of Storm Darragh. Even so, customers converged on the Stag Inn to convey their sadness and express their disappointment.

A change.org petition calling on Marston’s to reconsider was launched by assistant manager Imogen Longman. As well as hosting live music, quiz nights and karaoke discos, the couple oversaw a “poppy wall” for Remembrance Sunday and hosted Christmas carols outside the pub. To launch improved food menus, the couple said they bought new kitchen equipment out of their own pockets. In late November, their efforts were rewarded with a TripAdvisor Travellers Choice award.

Imogen wrote: “Their tireless efforts have brought new life into our beloved local hub, ensuring its legacy and place within the heart of our community. Since they took over, the Stag has become more than just a landmark – it’s the vibrant soul of our village. However, a grave situation now looms over us. Susie and Darren have only a week’s notice to pack up their whole life and move. Their removal would not only be a significant personal loss, but severely impact the community dynamic they’ve helped to cultivate.”

Two days after the notice period began, Marston’s advertised for replacement “partners”. The brewery said the Stag currently has weekly drink sales of £6,000 but “with the right operator” this could be increased to £10,000 in high season, plus up to £4,000 for food. A temporary operator will take over in the meantime.

A Marston’s spokesperson said: “We provide training and support for all our new partners starting out on our partnership model. After five months working together, we have mutually agreed with Darren and Susie to end our partnership later this month.”

For the couple, it was a torrid week. Not only did the pub lose power, its tills went down on the day the vacancy was published online. In between packing up, they have been in touch with solicitors and Citizens Advice. "We just wanted to have a professional conversation with the brewery about our situation,” said Susie. “But it now looks like we will be going on Tuesday, that’s not going to change.”