A popular village pub in Laxey is to close its doors this Friday, with its owner citing rising running costs, mounting debts and a significant drop in customers.

The Queens Hotel, on New Road, announced it would be shutting for the foreseeable future in a message posted on social media.

Owner Gary Moore said he had been advised to close the pub after footfall dropped drastically over the past two years.

He wrote: ‘It’s with great sadness that I have to announce the pub will be closing this coming Friday for the foreseeable future.

‘With the rising running costs and debts piling up and footfall into the pub dropping drastically over the past two years, I have been advised to close the doors.’

Gary also thanked the staff who had worked at the pub over the past six years, describing them as ‘all fantastic’.

He added that he hoped to see some familiar faces over the next three days for a farewell drink.

‘To all my past and current customers, we’ve seen good times and bad, but generally, what a blast it’s been,’ he said.

The Queens Hotel is a traditional village pub and inn in the heart of Laxey. It is understood to have opened in spring 1885 and has long been a familiar meeting place for residents and visitors.

Its closure will leave Laxey with just a handful of pubs, including The Shore, The Mines Tavern, which recently reopened, and The Bridge.

The announcement marks the latest change to the village's pub scene, which once had enough establishments to make a pub crawl possible.

Gary said he hoped to remain around for a few weeks and wished past and present customers well.