THE PUB at the centre of a months long road closure in Starcross has closed suddenly.

The Driftwood Inn announced on social media that it was ‘with a heavy heart’ it would be closing its door yesterday, Monday.

The announcement said: ‘We would like to thank everyone for their support over the last two years.

‘It wasn’t any easy decision for us to make.’

The closure appeared to be at short notice as the social media post appear the same day the pub shut.

Repairs to the cob wall of the building, formerly the Galleon Inn, took place at the end of last year.

The urgent work took months and saw the main A379 road through the village closed until just before Christmas.

The road closure caused frustrating knock-on effects as the diversion took traffic through residential streets.

Questions were asked why the work was taking so long as the road closure was extended many times.

County councillor Alan Connett had pressed the brewery Stonegate the need to complete the work as soon as possible.

But supporters of the pub said they were sorry to hear of the closure.

One said: ‘You’ve worked so hard to keep going, even with all the building work. This was definitely not the plan.’

Another said: ‘Sorry to see you go guys. You sparked a great pub back into action. Hopefully who ever comes next can keep the momentum alive.’

The road closure led to complaints about the high volume of traffic using the village streets and passing Starcross Primary School; speeding traffic and HGVs ignoring alternative routes Devon County Council Highways had put in place.

It also highlighted the importance of installing a pedestrian crossing outside the school.