A POPULAR Torquay hotel and bar has been suddenly locked up after its licensee left.

Churchill's bar and hotel on Babbacombe Downs was closed for business at the weekend, with notices in its windows explaining it was shut 'until further notice'.

Licence holder Melanie Davies, an Arizona-born businesswoman who took over the premises only last year, said then that she hoped to breathe new life into the prominent hotel and pub after it had closed down previously.

But people hoping to organise wedding parties, christenings and other functions at the pub have been stunned by the closure.

Neil Stanlake, licensing officer with Torbay police, confirmed that the licensee of Churchill's had left.

He said: "The lady licence holder has only been in place since September 2009. She lived upstairs with her daughter and parents.

"We were alerted to a commotion outside Churchill's on Wednesday when dozens of people wanted to go in."

A notice left on the windowsill beside the front door of the premises from the owners, Dorset brewery Hall and Woodhouse, says they have reason to believe that Ms Davies has abandoned the property.

The laminated letter, dated August 27 and addressed to Ms Davies, says: "H&W has reason to believe you have abandoned the property.

"This is a breach of the lease. You must remedy this on or before September 3, otherwise H&W will take further action to forfeit the lease."

Following the disturbance at the property it is understood that a security guard employed by Hall and Woodhouse is living on the premises until the situation can be sorted out by brewery officials.

The forced closure means that all employees have been left out of work.

Mr Stanlake said: "It is possible that she has returned to the United States."

He said an investigation had now been launched into the Churchill's licence holder and Hall and Woodhouse had been made aware of the situation.

A company spokeswoman said all money paid to Churchill's for bookings had been paid to the tenant rather than to the brewery itself.

"We've only found out about this on Thursday afternoon," she said. "We have had several calls from angry people who had bookings with Churchill's.

"We have got hold of a copy of the diary and we have been trying to get in touch with people and place them in other premises when possible."

The brewery spokeswoman also said Hall and Woodhouse was trying to get in touch with and locate Ms Davies.

There was a wedding due to be held at the hotel on Saturday.

Neighbouring pub the Babbacombe Inn was aware of this, and stepped in at the last minute to make sure that the happy couple weren't left without a venue.

Martin Strange, proprietor of the Babbacombe Inn, said it was an "awful situation" and that they had wanted to help.

But he stressed that they had no connections with Churchill's and were not honouring their bookings.

"We feel for everybody who may have lost money in this," Mr Strange said.

"We were able to step in at the last minute for the wedding at the weekend.

"We knew there was a wedding planned and we knew they didn't know it had closed, so we did what we could to help."