Landlady Judy Allen died on Monday morning at Worcestershire Royal Hospital after over three decades at The Mug House in Claines.

Her son Russell said he has been inundated with calls and messages of condolences from people wanting to pay tribute to his mum.

She is survived by Russell and her daughter Kerry, who lives in Essex.

He said: "When you get to know her you won't meet a better person.

"But if you got on the wrong side of her she will put you straight.

"We have made some really good friends out of the pub over the last 30 years.

"The number of phone calls from people offering to do things, we've had messages from as far away as Devon.

TRIBUTES: Judy Allen was renowned for her pinny and glass of red wine

"She loves this place to pieces and always said 'if anything happened to me I want to be stuffed and put on the bench out the front'.

"I can't do that but I am talking to the church about who makes their scarecrows for the scarecrow festival so we can have one made of her to sit out front.

"Mum was renowned for having a glass of red wine and wearing a pinny so she will be posed like that.

"She was the pub and the pub was her.

"That's what is going to be difficult about reopening. It wasn't just a pub.

"It was mum that made it special and without her it is going to be completely different."

Mug House in Claines to close following Judy's death

The Mug House will remain closed until further notice with Mr Allen unsure at the moment whether it will reopen with him at the helm.

"Nobody can fill mum's shoes.

"I'm having a meeting with the brewery who might make the decision for me but I also need to think about what I want to do.

"At the moment I feel like I want to carry on for Claines and for mum."

Funeral plans are being organised but Mr Allen will follow his mum's wishes to be cremated in a private family ceremony.

Traditionally, a memorial service is held at Worcestershire County Cricket Club following the death of prominent Worcestershire pub landladies and landlords.

STALWART: Judy Allen was the landland at the Mug House in Claines for 33 years.

Originally from Selly Oak, Mrs Allen moved to Ireland and lived around Essex where she began work as a sales rep before moving to the Midlands.

After helping out behind the bar of the Horse and Jockey in Sutton Coldfield she was told she should become a landlady.

Expressing a wish to work at a country pub, within three weeks she was the landlady at the Great Western in Bewdley before fulfilling her dream of owning a countryside pub with a move to the Mug House in June 1989.

Under Mrs Allen, it has welcomed the 2014 Grand National-winning horse Pineau De Re and at Christmas hosted a memory tree in honour of James O'Mara who died, age 13.

The Mug is thought to be one of the only pubs on consecrated ground in the UK.