THE landlady of a vandal-hit village pub near Worcester has sold up and moved on.

Wreckers daubed menacing messages such as "fat cow", "she must go" and "customers wanted" on the side of the pub during Rose Farries tenure at The Royal Oak, in Hallow.

Ms Farries, who had been the landlady since August 2002, told the Evening News after the first attack in September 2002 that she was not going to let those responsible win.

However, just one week later, the pub was targeted again.

Two months later, in November 2002, in an act of defiance, Ms Farries planted an oak tree to show thugs that she was there to stay.

However, despite the victimisation, new owners Nigel Peters and Matthew Mylan said Ms Farries departure last month was purely a business one.

Mr Peters said he did not anticipate any problems and was hopeful of building a thriving business.

"People don't tend to eat in the same place that they go to drink but we have found that people are coming back here to eat and drink," said Mr Peters, who runs the kitchen.

"We have to be able to combine the aspects of good food for families and continue as a place for drinking.

"We are very happy with the start we have had. Business is building up and going from strength to strength."

The pair, who are originally from Wales, previously ran hotels in Yorkshire and took over ownership around a month ago.

The pub has recently been awarded a Food Safety Award for good food practices, cleanliness and hygiene.