Laurel Pub Company yesterday confirmed that the Hogshead, opposite Debenhams, would be closing on Tuesday.

A spokesman said: "The Hogshead in Lynn is one of a number of Laurel pubs which are being closed due to the impact of the smoking ban and difficult trading conditions.

"We are working to try to relocate our eight employees where possible, however in some cases this will lead to redundancies."

Lynn's club and pub scene is about to change with Presnell's Club in Millfleet closing within the next fortnight.

Will Presnell and his wife Alice have run the Millfleet club for the past six years, first as managers and then leaseholders. They are leaving on Sunday, March 2, and have given notice to Lynn Workers' Club, which owns the premises.

On Sunday, Lynn Workers' Club in Church Street called an extraordinary meeting of its members to discuss what to do with Presnell's.

Ninety-two members were present and chairman Pat Haughey said 67 of them voted to sell the premises and 25 to lease it out again. He said the building, previously home to the Millfleet Social Club and before that St Margaret's Social Club, would close on March 2.

Mr Haughey said: "We bought the building in 1999 and leased it to him (Mr Presnell) two-and-a-half years ago. The land within the boundaries also belongs to us."

Lynn Workers' Club is now in the "very early stages" of selling Presnell's.

"There have been inquiries and we have had people say they might be interested, but nothing official," he said.

One organisation interested is the Royal British Legion, whose Norfolk county and Lynn branch chairman Gerry Tann said it was setting up a number of new-style club and resource centres around the country.

But he pointed out: "It's all talk at the moment until we find out what the price tag is. There are other properties we have looked at in this area."

Mr Tann said the new centres would be run as businesses, offering welfare services and advice normally available from the Legion's headquarters in Pall Mall, and they would be open to the public as well as members.

Meanwhile, Norfolk Harvester licensee, Chris Ayling, the tenancy-holder for the past eight years, has just appointed a new manager.

Mr Bob Bowen moved from the Midlands to take up the managership at the Norfolk Harvester this week.