THE doors at the Edward the Confessor pub have closed for the final time. The historic pub, based in Town Square, Stevenage, has been serving the town s residents and visitors for almost 50 years but its owners Mitchell and Butlers recently put it up for

THE doors at the Edward the Confessor pub have closed for the final time.

The historic pub, based in Town Square, Stevenage, has been serving the town's residents and visitors for almost 50 years but its owners Mitchell and Butlers recently put it up for sale after reviewing the company's assets.

The owners are currently negotiating the sale of the property, which closed on Sunday.

It had been due to close on Monday but when staff turned up at the premises to start their shift, the property was already shut.

The signs above the pub have been taken down and the windows boarded up.

In recent years the pub has been at the centre of various low level criminal and public order offences and had been running on reduced opening hours recently, opening to just 5pm.

There had been 16 reported incidents at the pub since Christmas, ranging from fights and assaults to criminal damage.

Its closure pleased Stevenage community inspector Mark Furnival who said recently that it had been of concern to the police for some time.

He said: "I would like to use this case as an example and a warning to all licensees in Stevenage that we will not tolerate constant problems at your premises and that it is your responsibility to make sure that your customers are not drinking too much, which fuels much of the disorder that we experience in the town."

It is believed that the new owners will not be using the property as a public house.