Enterprise couple face eviction

A licensee couple have been given 42 days to leave their pub after losing a high-profile court battle today with owners Enterprise Inns.

David Ball and his wife Anne-Marie, tenants at the Fleur de Lys, in Totley, Sheffield, are facing eviction after a county court judge agreed to a repossession order obtained by Enterprise.

The couple owe Enterprise more than £20,000, which includes fines of around £13,000 for buying outside the tie and £7,000 in rent arrears.

But Ball told The Publican he did not believe the pub was viable, based on the current takings and rent.

"We are gutted about what's happened and we're still deciding on where to go from here," he added.

"But unless we can get a rent reduction, which is unlikely, the only other option is to find the money to pay off our rent arrears."

Earlier today, trade union the GMB staged a protest outside Sheffield County Court in support of the couple. A 'fife and drum' band - a traditional form of protest against evictions - accompanied the protestors.

Meanwhile, around 100 disgruntled licensees attended a meeting in Sheffield last night organised by the GMB. The union is looking to recruit more licensee members, and urging them to write to MPs about their pubco experience.

Last week Prime Minister Gordon Brown spoke at the GMB's annual conference in Blackpool, where he called on licensees to tell him about cases of pubco "abuses", and had his photo taken with anti-pubco campaigners - including David Ball.

Brown said he would refer complaints to the Office of Fair Trading.