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Pubs operator and brewery Samuel Smiths says the Old Mother Redcap, in Bradway and Cow and Calf, in Grenoside, both in Sheffield, and The Royal Oak, in Ulley, Rotherham, just outside Sheffield, have all had to close because of difficulties finding landlords to run the venues.

But company spokesman Christian Horton has told The Star that the company is committed to reopening the three venues as soon as possible, and urged anyone interested in running them to get in touch.

He said the three well-known locals were among the victims of a national shortage of staff in the pubs industry which has followed the coronavirus pandemic.

A major pub operator has pledged to re-open three Sheffield pubs, after they were forced to close. Pictured clockwise from left are The Calf and Cow, Grenoside, Royal Oak, Ulley, and Old Mother Redcap, Bradway

He said: “All three of these have catering kitchens, as they’re food pubs. If there’s anyone interested in running them they can go to our recruitment website, runapub.co.uk.

“A lot of pubs shut down after Covid, and we are keen to open up all three of them again. It has been difficult generally throughout the industry to recruit – it is an industry wide thing. But we are still committed to reopening them. We are committed to keeping pubs as pubs despite the current difficulties.”

He said as well as the recruitment issue since Covid, the industry has been under pressure because of high energy costs over the last year.

But he said he hoped people would be attracted to the jobs because as well as a salary, those who take them on also got accomodation on the premises – potentially saving a lot of money in times of high rent costs in the housing market.

Samuel Smiths have recently announced the planned reopening of one of its best known Sheffield pubs, The Brown Bear, in the city centre, after it was briefly closed after its landlord left.

More than 150 pubs closed for good in England and Wales during the first three months of this year.

Commercial property firm Altus Group analysed Government data and found that 51 pubs were lost each month in the first quarter of 2023, almost two a day, amid concern over energy costs. That compares with 32 pubs a month disappearing on average across last year.

Sheffield pubs: Pledge to reopen Old Mother Redcap, Bradway, Cow and Calf, Grenoside and Royal Oak, Ulley