Landlord Iain Robertson talks about shock closure of Lazy Lion pub in Milford

The landlord of a Milford pub which shocked villagers by closing down suddenly has said he has been forced to shut by rising energy costs and people being unable to afford to dine out.

Iain Robertson, who ran the Lazy Lion, said he was “very saddened” to have to close its doors, adding: “We had an extremely tough winter, followed by a not very good summer and this winter looked like being bad too.

“We just didn’t recoup enough in the summer to see us through another really tough winter. We had no other choice but to close.”

Villagers were left stunned by the closure of one of its most popular pubs with most finding out when Iain posted a message on its front door.

It read: “It is with a heavy heart and great sadness that we are having to close the business. These have been extremely trying and difficult times to be trading in, but spiralling costs, staff shortages economic down-turn and inflation have made it incredibly challenging for hospitality.

“We would like to thank everyone for their support over the last five years.”

Iain came to the Lazy Lion – then the Red Lion – from the Monkey House pub in Lymington which he had run very successfully for years. He told the A&T: “Since we opened, we have had one disaster after another, first it was Covid, then the war in Ukraine which led to huge increases in energy costs and supplies.

“A litre of cooking oil, for example, went from £20 to £49. You can put prices up, but you can’t keep passing the cost on to customers as they just wouldn’t be able to afford it.

“Then we had a flood, followed by a fire. But the cost-of-living crisis has really seen us off.

“People just do not have the money to go out like they did.”

During his time at the pub, Iain carried a full refurbishment, adding five bedrooms upstairs to let, along with a gazebo and children’s play area.

He also threw himself into village life, raising funds for its cricket team and holding regular charity events for other organisations.

In July he took part in L’Étape du Tour de France cycle which saw him ride 138km from Nice to Col de la Couillole in aid of Macmillan Cancer Care.

Iain said: “We borrowed a lot of money to refurbish the pub, I spent £60,00 on putting in a new kitchen alone.

“But we just haven’t recouped the money, times are tough. It’s not just us, I know there are hospitality places all over suffering the same way.”

Customers of the pub posted a raft of messages online after the closure. One said: “We had a lovely meal there on Sunday. There were seven of us and dog in the group. I will miss that smiling face and the welcome we always got from Iain.”

Another said: “Iain the owner was an absolutely fantastic guy and a delight. He ran the establishment with a big heart, care and passion. Good luck to him. We thoroughly enjoyed every visit.”

Iain said he was now considering what to do, revealing: “I have been offered a couple of jobs. I’m not proud, I need a job.”

He said he was confident the pub “would not be developed” adding: “I would like to thank those people who have supported us.”