A HUSBAND and wife have taken over the running of the Hereford pub where they first met.

Danni and Beau Beere have been put in charge of the Broadleys in South Wye and, despite there being plans to turn the venue into a Co-op store, they say there is no reason the pub can't be a success.

"The pub was sold to the NewRiver group but at the moment they can't get planning permission (for a convenience store) so they have handed it back to Marston's to run it as a pub," said Mrs Beere, who is 26.

"Our aim is to get it up and running and functioning as a pub in the hope that Marston's will keep it open."

The pub was never closed before the new management came on board, but the couple say they are pleased by the welcome they have received.

"We have been supported so much," she added.

"It's been so lovely. There is no reason why this pub cannot be a success. It's part of the community."

The couple, who have two young children, first met at the Broadleys in what was Mrs Beere's first ever bar job, and say they accept the work won't be easy.

"It's our first pub and we know it will be hard.

"We registered with a website called findmypub.com. When they mentioned the Broadleys we thought, 'let's give it a go'."

Only last month, the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) called on Herefordshire Council to make a decision regarding the planning application, saying the uncertainty isn't fair on the business.

More than 1,000 people signed a petition with the aim of keeping it open.

A Herefordshire Council spokesman has said the planning authority appreciates the delay and uncertainty is "unsettling for the community".