A village pub near Alton has been dealt a bitter blow as a road closure has halved its trade on one of the busiest weeks of the year.

Chawton was full of life on Tuesday with people from around the world travelling to the village and Alton for Jane Austen Regency Week.

But the scene is very different in nearby Lower Farringdon as the four-week closure of the A32 south of the village crossroads for resurfacing has hit the Royal Oak hard.

“It’s a struggle to keep the lights on at the moment,” said landlord, Barry Pethers.

“The Highways Agency don’t want to help. They’ve got signs up promoting the artist trail in the village but nothing for us.

“Normally on a Sunday we get 10 to 15 walk-ins but we’re not getting any at the moment because there’s no passing trade and we’re totally reliant on bookings.

“There’s only so much we can do. We put posts out on Facebook but I’ve had to temporary cut down on staff levels because we haven’t got the trade right now.”

This should be a busy week given the influx of Jane Austen fans from around the world, but the clutch of ‘road closed’ signs at the A32 roundabout aren’t exactly welcoming.

So Mr Pethers and his team want to stress its business as usual for the Royal Oak, with plenty of incentives to ignore the signs and pay a visit, from takeaways and a special “wise and seasoned” OAP menu to live music nights and food cooked by former Rose and Crown chef, Russell Parker.

Mr Pethers added: “It’s tough, very tough, and in this business you’re up against something every day of the week.

“We’ll hopefully see this through, but we’ve got another two weeks so we do need a helping hand. Come see us.”