A Darlington pub owner will close his venues on the day of the Queen's funeral out of respect to Britain's longest serving monarch - and he has condemned Wetherspoons for not doing the same.

Warren Kreft, owner of Darlington pubs The Bridge Inn, The Pennyweight and Hole in the Wall, has confirmed they will all be closed tomorrow as the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II takes place. 

It comes as Wetherspoons has announced the majority of its pubs will remain open on the day of the Queen’s funeral but only after 1pm when the service has ended.

Mr Kreft has called this decision 'disrespectful' and believes Wetherspoons should be shut like other venues out of respect.

Read more: Full list of North East shops shutting on Monday for Queen's funeral

He said: “Horrendous, I think it’s absolutely disrespectful to the Queen.

“Profiteering out of someone’s death, we do wakes at the Bridge Inn, with the Queen it’s different.

“I am very much proud to be British, I’m about as white, red and blue as you can be.

“Personally, I was devastated when it was announced. I still have a lot of respect for the Monarchy, it’s not a good time.

“As a matter of respect, I’ve shut all three pubs."

Read more: These are the GP Practices in Darlington that will shut for the Queen's funeral

He said all his workers agreed closing this Monday was the right thing to do.

A Wetherspoons spokesperson said: "Apart from a handful of central London pubs, which will be open because of location, [Wetherspoons pubs] will be open after the funeral.

"That's in line with the vast majority of pub companies in the UK."

The spokesperson said Wetherspoons pubs outside of this area will not be open during the Queen's funeral but will be after 1pm.

The pub chain has also confirmed its airport and railway station locations will remain open during the funeral.

Many other bars and retailers have already announced they will be closing this Bank Holiday Monday.

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