ANOTHER York pub has shut suddenly, just weeks after reopening from the pandemic lockdown.

The Wellington Inn, situated in the middle of a terrace of houses in Alma Terrace, off Fulford Road, has been closed for the last few days.

No one has been answering the phone or responding to a knock on the door or Facebook messages, and it isn’t known why the pub has shut or for how long.

The pub is run by Samuel Smith’s Brewery at Tadcaster, just like the Blacksmiths Arms at Skelton, which also closed suddenly last month. The brewery does not comment to the media.

The closure of the Wellington Inn, known to many as The Welly, has saddened and disappointed customers, with one commenting on The Press website: “Superb little gem of a pub. Hope it reopens soon.”

Another commented: “One of York’s finest inns but the necessary removal of furniture for social distancing had left it looking a little threadbare and sad. Let’s hope it opens again soon.”

A customer posted on Facebook: “Such a shame. Hope it reopens soon. It’s a great pub,” but others claimed that a recent increase in the price of beer in the brewery’s pubs might have deterred customers, along with pub policies such as a ban on mobile phones, the use of credit and debit cards to make payments and swearing.

Reviews posted on the pub’s Facebook page show the depth of affection for it. One posted: “I love this little drinking establishment, can I move it to the end of my street?”

Another posted: “Absolutely fab place to have a social drink and the atmosphere is fab.”

The Press reported last month how managers were being sought for several Samuel Smith’s Brewery pubs across the York area which have been shut since they closed down last year.

Adverts were posted on Gumtree for "live-in joint management couples" to run pubs including the Agar Arms in Warthill, the Tankard Inn in Rufforth and the Buckles Inn on the A64 between Tadcaster and York, all of which shut in 2019, and for the Blacksmiths Arms in Skelton. Applications for all four pubs close on September 15.