TIME was suddenly called on the Buccaneer pub in Barry when its parent company was plunged into administration.

The Smith and Jones chain, which is owned by the Bramwell pub company, was placed into administration with 185 pubs and 3,300 staff across the UK under threat.

The Buccaneer closed its doors on Thursday, October 31 and drinkers were met with a sign posted in the window informing them that the pub had been placed into the hands of administrators.

One Buccaneer regular who was met with locked doors the following day reacted with surprise at the news, saying there had been no indication of impending closure at the pub.

The man, who did not want to be named, said: "It's the first I've heard about it, it's a shame. It's on our doorstep and it's gone now so It'll leave a bit of a gap in the town.

"We'll all have to go elsewhere now.

"It's not good for the workers there either, and just before Christmas too. They have been advertising bookings for Christmas parties, so what will happen to those?"

Bramwell have been dogged by financial difficulties following a restructure in 2012 in attempts to cut its £160 million debt.

Peter Saville, partner at Zolfo Cooper administrators, said they were exploring all possible options, including selling the pub chain to interested businesses.

“We would like to thank the staff for their continued support and professionalism during this process," he added.