BEER enthusiasts are furious that a city centre pub has been put up for sale – with the condition that it is no longer run as a watering-hole.

Members of the Bristol branch of Camra, the Campaign for Real Ale, have branded pub chain Enterprise Inns "a disgrace" for selling The Bell on Prewett Street, Redcliffe, with a restrictive covenant – meaning that whoever buys it cannot pull pints there in the future.

The pub, which dates from about 1752, is for sale through Bath-based property consultants James A Baker.

Currently empty, it is being marketed as a restaurant, cafe or investment opportunity, and is up for grabs for £225,000.

The move has angered local beer lovers, who say that Birmingham-based Enterprise does not want a rival pub group taking over the premises as it would be competition for nearby pub The Ship, which it also owns.

The Camra activists are demanding that Enterprise Inns sells The Bell without the clause and at a fair price, so it can be bought by a local brewery or an individual who can run it as a free house.

Camra member and Bell regular Michael Chappell said: "We believe that this could be a successful pub in the right ownership.

"Enterprise are imposing the covenant as they run other pubs in the area and do not want the competition from another operator running a former pub of theirs nearby.

"The Bell used to bring business into the area, being on a prominent road in Redcliffe. It also benefited from walk-through trade, especially at weekends.

"Enterprise is not doing this pub or the area justice. This pub is one of the few surviving Redcliffe pubs out of many which once dotted the area, and has a historic connection back to the times when Redcliffe was awash with pubs and industry."

Mr Chappell said Camra would oppose planning applications submitted to Bristol City Council that involved any change of use.

He said: "We will make sure that the Bristol City Council planning department are aware there is anger regarding this restriction so that change of use is not granted.

"Restrictive covenants were never intended for this purpose. They were there to ensure that inappropriate use of a building was not sought once it was sold.

"Clearly, as Enterprise has run this as a pub, this cannot be the case here. The decision to impose this restriction is a disgrace."

Enterprise Inns has more than 7,000 leased and tenanted pubs across England and Wales.

Simon Townsend, chief operating officer for the company, said that there had been no interest from any prospective pub landlords.

He added that The Bell had been put on the market because it was rundown and would cost more than £500,000 to refurbish.

He said: "The decision to dispose of any Enterprise pub is not taken lightly and not before every possible option for the continuation of the premises as a pub has been carefully explored.

"When we do dispose of pubs, our judgement on whether to accept any particular offer takes into account not only its absolute value, but the speed and certainty of its completion.

"There are circumstances in which optimum returns might best be achieved by including a covenant, with the full knowledge and agreement of prospective purchasers. In this case there has been no interest in the property for continued licensed use."