A HAMPSHIRE pub is likely to remain closed for the foreseeable future, say its owners.

Fuller’s, which owns the Newport Inn, at Braishfield near Romsey, says it hopes to be able to be in a position to confirm early next year what will happen to the pub.

However, the award-winning watering hole that was renowned for its traditional ploughman’s lunches, and old fashioned Saturday night sing-alongs with the pub’s late-landlady Janet Cook at the piano, is likely to undergo major changes to bring it into the 21st century before another pint is served.

It closed in the autumn after being run for decades by Janet who died in October.

A Fuller’s spokesman said: “The pub tenancy is still with executors of Janet’s estate and we are liaising closely with them and are obviously looking at what happens next.

“Unfortunately, this is far from a straightforward decision.

“Much of the appeal of the Newport Inn was created by Bernard and Janet Cook and also the fact that it had been largely untouched for a number of years.

“Significant investment is now required, and we are in the process of assessing all the costs. Of concern, although somewhat inevitable, is that whatever lengths we go to, the character and much of its current appeal will change.

“With two other pubs in Braishfield and the need to develop what would have to be a more food oriented business, one does have to look at the investment required and also question the pub’s viability,” he said.