A PUB run by one of Southampton’s top councillors has shut after its electricity suppliers pulled the plug – because no bills have been paid for four years.

Drinkers watched on in bemusement when British Gas officials walked into The Rover and said they were shutting off the power.

The Shirley High Street pub, run for around 12 months by Southampton’s cabinet member for environment and transport, Councillor Matt Dean, has been closed since.

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British Gas said it had “no choice”

but to switch off the watering hole’s electricity because it hasn’t received a bill payment since 2005, and said “numerous” attempts to contact management had failed.

Cllr Dean last night told the Daily Echo he is only running The Rover on a caretaker basis, and is not responsible for the unpaid debts.

One customer said: “I found it all quite amusing really.

“There were only a couple of other people in there at the time, but they had no draught beers, no fridges, and no till, so they couldn’t serve us.”

British Gas said the supplies would remain off until the company was confident of receiving payment.

“We’ve tried numerous times to contact them. We’ve tried phone calls, emails, letters, faxes and visits, but there haven’t been any payments on the account for quite some time,” said spokesman Sara Powell-Davies.

“We’ve now been informed there has been a change of tenancy, so we’ve been trying to get through to the leaseholder to confirm that, but there’s not a lot more we can do so we isolated the electricity to the pub.

“We need to be informed about the new tenancy and then we can get the ball rolling.”

Cllr Dean initially denied there was a problem with The Rover’s electricity supply, saying the pub had been closed while he waits to hear what the landlords – County Estate – want to do with the site.

The Tory councillor, who runs several pubs in the city, now says he believes there could have been an administrative mix-up with British Gas following the death of the previous landlord, but insists he is not at fault.

“It’s ridiculous. There have been some payments. I don’t believe for a minute they haven’t received any money in four years,” he said.

“I don’t owe them any money because I’m just the tenant.

“It’s a private matter between the executors of the (former landlord’s) estate and County Estate.”

County Estate said it was unable to comment on any of its individual accounts.