A DEVASTATED landlady and her family will be left homeless when a Canvey pub closes this month.

The Silver Jubilee, in Hilton Road, will be shut on Saturday, July 19, as the brewery says it is “unsustainable”.

Joanne Cramp, 49, has lived in the pub with her family of five since she became the landlady more than three years ago, but will now be left with no home and no job after brewery Punch Taverns decided to close it.

Mrs Cramp, who started working at the pub as a cleaner, signed up to a five-year tenancy agreement 18 months ago.

She said she does not blame the brewery for its decision to sell the pub and added: “It’s a sign of the times. The Government is taxing pubs to the point it is becoming difficult for them to survive.

“The overheads are just astronomical and the brewery has been left with no choice. It isn’t their fault as they are in trouble as it is.”

The brewery has offered a redundancy payment, but Mrs Cramp is worried it isn’t enough for the family’s future.

She said: “This pub is my life. I’ve been here for years.

“I’m going to be really sad to see it go – it’s upsetting. We have a few regulars – one guy comes in every night. He’s lost his family and all he has is this place and his job.

“I’m gutted, but it’s a sign of the times.”

Mrs Cramp and her family will have to look for a new home and will also have to decide what they will do for work.

She said: “As of now, we have no idea what we’re going to do.

We’ll be staying with family until we work things out.”

Punch Taverns, which owns the pub, says it has had “a number of offers”.

A spokeswoman said: “This pub forms part of our turnaround division, in which we have committed to review the future of our less-sustainable pub businesses.

“While the pub is not on the open market, we’ve been approached with a number of offerswhich we are looking into.”

The popular landlady said she would like to thank all those who have supported her.

She added: “I’m thankful for all the support I’ve received from the community over the years.

I’ll be very sad to leave.

“There’s nothing I can do about it. I wish I owned the place, because it wouldn’t be shutting then.”