A WELL-known Worcester pub is set to be demolished, sparking outrage from locals who say it will leave their community without anywhere to enjoy a drink.

People in Dines Green say they are outraged that the Coppertops, in Oldbury Road, is set to be bulldozed later this year.

Two other pubs in Dines Green - the Mayflower in Grenville Road and the Drakes Drum in Tudor Way - have already been demolished to make way for houses, and pubgoers are now facing a trek to St John's just to go to the pub.

Worcester City Council has received an application from the pub's owners, Westbourne Leisure, for the pub to be knocked down 'on or after October 1'.

Planning regulations mean that - as long as the demolition is carried out safely and securely - the council does not need to give permission for the demolition unless the pub has been registered as a 'community asset', which it has not.

Jim Tipping of Grenville Road, Dines Green, who suffers from arthritis in his legs and back, is due to celebrate his 80th birthday at the Coppertops tomorrow (Friday).

He said he became concerned when he began to receive phone calls asking him if it was still going ahead, because of rumours about the future of the pub.

The grandfather-of-four and great grandfather of three, whose birthday celebration will still go ahead, said: "This is the third pub Dines Green we are going to lose after the Mayflower and the Drakes Drum.

"It's disgusting. I will have to go into St John's now if I want a pint.

"There should be at least one pub up here. I have been coming up here since the Mayflower closed up.

"I can't just walk up here. I'm disabled. I come down here on my mobility scooter to grab a pint and get out of the house.

"Are they doing this for the money or just to get the pub off their hands?

"I like it here - too true. I don't think it's right we should lose a third pub. We ain't going to be able to go nowhere now. The nearest pub will probably be the Bedwardine or one of the pubs in St John's and no way am I going to go down there."

Locals say they have heard rumours that the site will be turned into more housing, but no-one from Westbourne Leisure was available for comment yesterday when contacted by the Worcester News.

But John Banner, of St John's, who worked as a DJ at the pub, said if the Coppertops is demolished, another modern pub should be built in its place.

He said: "There isn't another pub for miles. There must be a pub there."

Brothers Dave Hill, 59, of Hawkins Close, Dines Green and Geoff Hill, 60, of Spencer Road, Dines Green, said they are both disgusted and are considering setting up a petition to save the Coppertops.

Dave Hill, who works nights as a driver said: "I don't agree with it. They have already chucked two pubs off the estate. The person who built this said it had to keep going as a pub. It's annoying. This pub is handy for me."

Geoff Hill said: "I'm disgusted at them. I have had a stroke and lost part of my sight. There would be nowhere to go. St John's is too far. There is a feeling the heart is being ripped out of Dines Green."

Brian Newey, 79, of Dines Green said: "They're just building houses with no facilities.

"I feel how everybody else feels about it. This is a place for socialising. I have been coming here two years, ever since the Mayflower closed.

"When it first opened in its heyday it was jammed. There were cars parked all up the road and you had to book for the restaurant."

Westbourne Leisure were unavailable for comment yesterday.

The landlord of the pub, Marc Johnson, declined to comment.

Worcester News:

OPENING: Coppertops owner George Love, right, with his wife Annie Love, second left, DJ Muff Murfin and Naomi D'Oliveira in November 1969

Five decades at the Coppertops

THE Coppertops opened at 6pm on November 6, 1969 - deriving its name from the tables and bar counters which were covered in beaten copper.

An advertising feature in what was then the Evening News referred to the 'handsome, luxurious standard of the furnishings and decoration' and the bar as 'beautifully carpeted'.

Another feature was the Spanish-style Matador lounge decorated with swords and dolls builder George Love acquired from Spain.

The newly opened pub also featured the Topaz Room, a large banqueting or dance hall which was said to be stiletto proof.

In 1970 the pub was sold by owner George Love to the Mitchells and Butlers brewery combine.

Over the years it has played host to every kind of entertainment from parties to magic shows. Craig Douglas, the Fifties heart-throb who once topped the bill with The Beatles, performed at the pub in 2005.