Two of the best-known east Suffolk pubs that closed suddenly last weekend could be back in action by Easter after a rescue bid by their owner Adnams.
The Southwold-based brewer owns the freehold of the Eel's Foot at Eastbridge and the Middleton Bell, which closed on Sunday.
The company that owned the tenancy for the two pubs ceased trading suddenly and administrators were called in. Adnams only knew about the closure 48 hours in advance.
Now the brewery is keen to take over the management of the pubs directly in the short term to ensure they can reopen - and save the jobs of the 15 people employed between them.
Adnams' hospitality director Nick Attfield said the company was talking to the administrators and was hoping to move in within days.
He said: "In a perfect world we'd like to be able to get them both open again by next Wednesday but we are in the hands of the administrators on that - dealing with the assets of the company that was the former tenant.
"We are really keen to be open by Easter but we cannot guarantee that. We are confident we will get them open again very soon."
The Eel's Foot has six guest rooms in an annex behind the pub. People who had booked there over the next few weeks have been offered accommodation in other Adnams pubs but Mr Attfield was confident they would be open again not long into the spring.
He said most of the company's pubs were run by tenants who ran them as independent businesses - although some were directly managed.
"We will get managers in to both of them to get them open as soon as possible and then start the process of looking for new tenants - both are very popular and very successful pubs and we want to keep up the continuity."
Adnams currently has 10 directly-managed pubs and 35 tenanted properties.
The Eel's Foot is very popular with visitors to the Minsmere nature reserve nearby - and its rooms are often rented by people visiting the area to see the wildlife.
Mr Attfield said: "I was at the Eels Foot today to check up on a few things and while we were there some birders turned up and were very disappointed to find it closed at lunchtime."
It is also a popular venue for traditional Suffolk folk music with regular music nights - when Springwatch made its home at Minsmere a few years ago it was very popular with the production team and presenters.
The Bell is a very traditional village pub - Mr Attfield described it as "Chocolate-box Inn."
But he said while their importance for tourism should not be under-estimated, both pubs fulfilled an important role for their local communities.
He said: "They are places that bring the people of Middleton and Eastbridge and Theberton together - and they're very important in that and for the people who work in them."
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