CONTROVERSY over the uncertain future of a disused Keighley town centre pub has reignited.

A mother and daughter pair from Keighley who had been determined to manage the Star Pub, say they were stunned to see the empty premises had been put up for sale.

Pauline Robins and Charlotte Goodall said they had been in discussions with the pub's owners, Punch Taverns, about them taking over the North Street property as licensees, and were never told about the company's intention to sell off the building instead.

But a Punch Taverns spokesman has rejected this, saying: "Following the sale of circa 1,900 Punch pubs to Star Pubs & Bars (Heineken) in August, the Star in Keighley has transferred to Star Pubs & Bars ownership. However, it remains Punch’s operational responsibility until early March.

"Star Pubs & Bars has decided to sell the freehold.

"While we did have an initial conversation with an interested party, the formal recruitment process had not begun and it is therefore inaccurate to say that the pub was promised to an individual.”

The pub, which has been disused for many months, is now being marketed by Westlake & Co Chartered Surveyors.

Miss Robins, 48, who lives in Ingrow, said she and her 29-year-old daughter had been left disappointed and frustrated by the way they have been treated.

She explained that she had been in touch with Punch Taverns on Monday January 8, and was simply told that the company was investigating what needed to be done inside the building in terms of asbestos removal and electrics.

However, the following day she was walking past the pub and was shocked to see the "For Sale" sign on it.

"We've been messed about," she said.

"Since we last got in touch with the Keighley News [in October 2017] we've been ringing Punch Taverns up every week and they've been telling us they would keep us informed.

"We scraped together the deposit we needed to get up and running, and we rushed through our licenses – which cost us even more money.

"So why didn't they tell us they were putting the pub up for sale?

"At least if we'd know that we could have been looking around for a different pub."

Miss Robins has previously worked as a barmaid and said it had always been a dream of hers to manage a pub for herself.

She said the central location of The Star was ideal for both herself and her daughter, who has three children and lives in Highfield.

Last October, she and her daughter said their plans to become licensees of this same pub were thrown into disarray after Punch Taverns told them intruders had broken in and damaged the property.

But a spokesman for the company responded to the Keighley News that the pub was still secure and had not been targeted by criminals.