Meet Oxford's unluckiest new landlord.

Since the age of 18 plumber Trevor Dingle has dreamed of running his own pub.

Trevor, 44, thought his dearest wish had come true when the tenancy of one of his favourite hostelries, The Bookbinders Arms in Jericho, became available.

But just days before he moved into the Morrells pub on Canal Street, the brewery announced the Bookbinders was up for sale along with the brewery's 131other tenanted pubs.

With his new pub being sold from under his feet, Trevor and his partner Davina Elmslie are anxiously waiting to find just what the future holds.

He said: "This is my first pub that I've waited 27 years for, so I decided to go through with it. But I'm in no-man's land right now. Everything just depends on who takes over the pubs. Nobody seems to know anything. We're just like everybody else, trying to find out what is going on.

"Under my tenancy agreement there is effectively a six-month probation period, with an option of taking up a standard three-year tenancy. So we shall just have to see what happens."

But Trevor, who has moved into a flat above the pub, says he is hanging on to his plumbing business F.R. Dingle for the time being until he sees the outcome of the Morrells' sale. The brewery is now in the process of drawing up a short-list from more than 20 bidders, who include the Abingdon-based brewery Morland.

Morrells chief executive, Ken Hodgson, confirmed that none of the bids include provision for retaining the brewery. With at least 77 jobs certain to go, Morrells was this week yesterday TUESDAY accused of "holding its staff to ransom" by union boss Keith Richardson.

Mr Richardson, regional industrial organiser of the Transport and General Workers' Union, was seething about the company turning down the union's request for a meeting.

He said loyal staff who had been with the company for years were frightened of speaking out through fear of losing even the minimum statutory redundancy payments on offer.

He said: "It is distressing for the workers in there. There appears to be no dialogue between employers and workers, even though people's livelihoods and futures are under threat."

Meanwhile, Camra (Campaign for Real Ale) volunteers will be collecting signatures for its petition in Oxford at Carfax tomorrowon Saturday AUGUST 22. The petition protests against Morrells "asset stripping" and calls for the brewery and pubs to be saved.

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