A VILLAGE pub has closed following financial difficulties.

The contents of the Comet Pub, in Hurworth, are being auctioned today after receivers were called in.

The auction, at the Auckland Auction Rooms, Bishop Auckland, will see pub furnishings, wine stocks, beers, spirits and catering equipment from the bar and restaurant go under the hammer.

A forklift truck and Nissan Primera will also be sold.

It is believed the pub closed last week, though residents in the village at first thought the closure was due to the recent spell of bad weather.

One resident, who did not wish to be named, said: "We saw that it was shut so we assumed the storms had maybe caused a power cut or something, and that's why it was closed."

The pub, in Tees View, Hurworth, is owned by national pub chain Enterprise Inns.

A spokeswoman said the licensee of the pub had terminated the lease due to personal financial difficulties. She said: "We are working hard to reopen the pub to the community."