A POPULAR pub has closed and been placed on the market – two years after a body was found in its beer garden.

The Anchor Pub, in High Street, Great Wakering, has been boarded up and placed on the market for just shy of half a million pounds.

The pub includes five bedrooms and is being marketed as having the opportunity for alternative uses, subject to obtaining planning permission.

Previously, the site, valued at £475,000 went through a major renovation in 2013, with new kitchens, new toilets and a new bar.

At the time, new owners Lee Atherton and Pete Titman were looking forward to the venture, and were part of the Punch Franchise Tenancy (PFT) giving franchisees a lot of support and a business structure to help them succeed.

It is unclear whether Mr Atherton and Mr Titman were the last owners, or if the pub changed hands before the closure.

It is believed the pub closed at some point at the start of this year, with the pub’s normally active Facebook page not posting since January 8.

One neighbour, Jill Andrews, 68, admitted it was sad to see the pub boarded up, but hoped a new buyer could be found and it would remain as a pub.

She said: “I always remember it being busy when I first moved here, I am not sure how long it has been closed, I think it was mid-January I first saw it boarded up.

“We don’t have a huge amount in the village, so it is a shame when things close.

“I would want to see it stay as a pub, but I guess it wasn’t being used enough before so it has closed. It’d be a shame to see it demolished and have some kind of development there.”