THE landlord of a city pub says the new owners have confirmed in writing he is "staying put" as the tenant.

Admiral Taverns has bought out the Bedwardine, in St Johns, as part of a deal to take on 150 pubs across the country from Star Pubs and Bars, announced last month.

Landlord Sebastian O’Donnell, who took over the ‘Beddy’ alongside his wife Laura in October last year, took to Facebook on Friday “after all the rumours” that the pub was closing down or that he was leaving.

In his post he said gossip that the venue would be turned into a Tesco, a block of flats, a petrol station or “God knows what else” are all untrue.

“Yes, the pub has been sold. No, it isn’t sold to developers,” he continued. “It has gladly been sold to and taken over by Admiral Taverns, who are very good operators with a fantastic portfolio.”

He said following meetings with “incoming and outgoing breweries” there had been “some misunderstanding and break down in communication regarding our position going forward”.

“I have it in writing with Admiral that we are staying put. They have every intention of working with us to help develop the business internally and externally with some exciting developments to come.

“So, to confirm – as from today, we are not leaving.”

Mr O’Donnell thanked everyone who has supported him, his wife and staff.

Rachael Dixon, Admiral business development manager for Worcester, said: “We’re delighted to have taken on the Bedwardine pub in Worcester, currently run by Sebastian O’Donnell, as part of our recent deal with Star Pubs and Bars.

“Admiral Taverns is a leading and award winning community pub operator in the UK market and we work hard to establish strong relationships with our licensees.We are committed to making the transition for our new licensees as smooth as possible and are looking forward to working with Sebastian in the future at the Bedwardine.”

The pub won Worcester News Pub of the Year competition in 2018.