Peter Karrie claims he's more used to seeing packed houses

"Six country pubs close each week in Britain and it is just a sad fact that I'm not getting the patronage at the pub. If more people had supported it, perhaps I wouldn't be in this situation."

But local residents say the star-cum-landlord is selling up because he has become a phantom landlord.

"Since he bought the place, several different people have run the place and some haven't been very experienced," says Penllyn resident Tina Llewellyn.

"The regular change of personnel brought disruption and did little to build a loyal customer base."

"The pub is pretty much the centre of the village, where we all go to meet, have a chat and find out the latest news," she said.

She is calling on fellow villagers to sign a petition to stop the closure.

Karrie moved into the pub in 1996, and transformed it into a themed restaurant called the Phantom's Lair.