SPORTS teams that use a community pub in Devizes have besieged Wiltshire Council with petitions to prevent it being bulldozed and turned into houses.

Among the campaigners trying to save The Cavalier in Eastleigh Road are numerous skittles and darts teams that fear they will be homeless if Wadworth is given permission to demolish the building and replace it with seven houses.

A pole dancing group that uses the function room has also signed a petition in a bid to keep the pub which has been at the centre of the community since the 1960s.

Devizes Town Council has objected to the proposal and among those who have written to protest is deputy mayor Andy

Geddes, who has pointed out inaccuracies in the case for closure put by Wadworth. He said: “The Cavalier has an unrivalled provision of recreational sporting facilities which enable it to support multiple darts and skittles teams which are a significant

element of local leagues.

“It is an almost inevitable consequence of the closure of the Cavalier that these displaced teams would therefore also be forced to close with a knock-on effect on the viability of the local competitions and leagues across the whole of the town.”

The Cavalier Conservation group has been set up to save the pub and its Facebook page has received a number of posts from people who fear its closure will cause isolation.

The group is continuing its campaign despite the decision by Cavalier tenants James and Tricia Blake to move from The Cavalier to the Bell By The Green in the centre of Devizes, which is undergoing a £250,000 makeover.

The planning application has been called in by Wiltshire Council and will be decided by the eastern area planning committee.

A spokesman for Wadworth said: “As part of a review Wadworth is considering options for the Cavalier and has submitted a planning application.”