A LANDLORD has launched a scathing attack on “incompetent” Bury Council bosses after his pub shut and he went bankrupt.

Distraught Tony Hooley, aged 42, has made the heart-wrenching decision to close the Roach Bank Inn, Croft Lane, so 14 staff have been laid off.

He blamed highways managers at the council for botching a major roadworks plan on Croft Lane, which lead to him losing £3,000 a week in takings and has left him £110,000 in debt.

But the council and the pub management company that sold Tony the lease have defended their respective roles, saying they did all they could to help in tricky market conditions.

Tony, who had a successful career as a high-flying project manager with Marks and Spencer, made the bold move in 2006 to sell his house and buy a long-term lease of the pub from brewery, Enterprise Inns.

He moved in with his For a while, the pub made a profit as Tony pulled out all the stops to attract locals with entertainment and food.

But disaster struck this spring when Bury Council announced it would have to close most of Croft Lane for four weeks to carry out much-needed road repairs.

Tony predicted back then that the massive disruption to his trade might lead to his closure - that dismal prediction has now come true.

He said: “My whole family is devastated. We have lost our home, have moved into rented accommodation and have lost our livelihoods. I’m trying to get a job but the credit crunch makes it very hard.

“We used to make a small profit at the pub - enough to pay the bills and get by - and then the smoking ban came in and it hit trade.

“We were still breaking even, but the roadworks was the final nail in the coffin. Four weeks would have been bad enough, but when the council said they would have to close it from August to November, that destroyed our business.”

Tony said he was outraged that the council had not compensated him. He said Enterprise Inns could have done more to help.

“The council kept changing their minds about the time it was going to take. Then the diversion sounds all around the town gave motorists the idea that the road was totally closed so my passing trade died out,” said Tony.

He added: “I went to public meetings, spoke to the council and residents and did everything I could to stop this and it was all for nothing.

“The council have shown a complete level of incompetence on this from start to finish and I want them to compensate me now.”

A council spokesperson said: “We appreciate that a lot of local businesses are experiencing difficulties in the current economic climate.

“The roadworks have caused disruption over the last few months and the council has attempted to minimise the problems for local residents by altering their original plans for these works and closing Croft Lane for only four weeks, instead of 16 weeks.

“This meant that the road remained opened while work continued under temporary traffic lights. The work has progressed well.”

An Enterprise Inns spokeswoman said: “It is a fabulous pub and we are in the process of finding a new retailer and we hope to have it open again as soon as possible.”

Enterprise Inns is attempting to sell the lease for the pub for £42,000.

DELIGHTED traffic bosses from Bury Council have announced roadworks on Croft Lane will finish on Sunday - six weeks ahead of schedule.

The major road-repair programme was due to run well into November, but good weather conditions and other factors have lead to an early finish.