MYSTERY surrounds the future of a Hampshire pub.

The sign has been taken down at The Netley Grange in Netley Abbey and the future of the venue is unclear.

The pub, last open on January 20, was bought by Greene King in 2015.

The company has now confirmed the pub has been sold but would not identify the buyer.

A spokesperson for Greene King said: “To be able to continue to invest in our estate, from time to time we have to make difficult decisions and therefore after much consideration we decided to put Netley Grange on the market and the pub has now been sold.

“We would like to thank all our customers who visited over the years.”

Some residents took to social media to claim the pub would be turned into flats.

But David Airey, borough councillor for the Netley Abbey ward, said the authority had not received any planning application. “At this stage anything about the future use of the pub is pure speculation. We don’t know anything at all. There’s no planning application at this stage nor plans for discussion,” he said.

Cllr Airey said the pub was very popular when it first opened more than 20 years ago.

Developer Stratland Estates, who submitted plans to build 89 new homes on land near the Netley Grange, said the company is not looking to purchase the pub site but was aware it was being marketed.

Greene King was unable to confirm how many jobs had been lost.