A PENDLE town once renowned for its ‘thriving’ social scene now has just two pubs left in operation.

Brierfield once boasted an abundance of pubs, both in its centre and in its back streets.

But after what a local councillor described as a ‘steady decline’, the Feathers Inn, in Colne Road, is now the only pub still open in the town centre.

And the Marsden Cross Inn, in Higher Reedley Road, is the only remaining pub in the town’s residential areas – and even this has shut temporarily while it seeks a new licensee.

In the past two years, last orders have been called on the Lane Ends Inn, The Snowball Inn and the Waggon and Horses.

And that comes after the closure of the Greyhound Hotel, Wigglesworth Arms, The Railway Tavern and the Junction Hotel in previous years.

Northern Soul and Motown DJ Roman Korol, who has lived and worked in the town for two decades, described the decline as ‘sad.’ He said: “Brierfield used to have a thriving social scene. It used to be known as ‘The Village’. The town has some of the friendliest people you are likely to meet and, like any town, it’s full of characters.

“But there is a lot of entertainment in larger towns. We also have a fairly large Muslim population and Muslims don’t drink.”

Coun Mike Blomeley, who has lived in the area for 20 years, said: “It is sad. The pubs have been in a steady decline for a number of years and that certainly seems to have accelerated recently.

“The smoking ban has had a significant impact on a number of local pubs and that has been a factor in the accelerated closure rate.

“Shops are struggling and pubs, which were once the heart of the community, are going. But I don’t know what we can do about it.”

A spokeswoman for Punch Taverns said: “We can confirm that the Marsden Cross is temporarily closed. Our priority is to reopen the pub as soon as possible and we are actively recruiting the right licensee to build a successful, sustainable business.”