The South Norwood community is fighting to save a treasured pub which has been put up for sale.

The Albert Tavern, on Harrington Road, has been put on the market by owners Greene King.

Locals fear the long-standing boozer, which hosts weekly quizzes, bingo, raffles, karaoke, discos and a poker club, will be turned into flats.

The South Norwood Tourist Board (SNTB) has started a petition, calling for Greene King, which manages nearly 3000 food and drink establishments across the UK, to only sell the building to a buyer who will continue to run it as a pub.

Jane Nicholl, representing the SNTB, said: "The South Norwood Tourist Board strongly opposes any attempts to close the Albert as a pub and turn it into flats.

"The Albert is a very popular pub and is widely used by the South Norwood community.

"It offers cheap affordable family meals and a special menu for OAPs all day every day.

"The pub puts on various events throughout the year, including an up coming summer fayre and a Christmas market last December.

"It would be a great loss to the community if all this was taken away from them."

Confirming the sale, Greene King failed to reassure customers the pub will survive, stating that "difficult decisions" had to be made for business reasons.

A spokesperson for Greene King said: “As a leading pub operator and brewer, we are committed to running high quality community pubs.

"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 have decided to put the Albert Tavern on the market.

"In the meantime, the pub remains open and trading as usual.”

The Harrington Road site has been home to a pub for more than 150 years.

Having been destroyed by bombing it WWII, The Albert Tavern was rebuilt in the 1960s.

To view the petition, visit:

https://www.change.org/p/greene-king-plc-save-the-albert-tavern-from-developers?recruiter=38832602&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=share_petition&utm_term=Search%3ESAP%3EUK%3EBrand%3EProper%3EExact