Kilcreggan villagers have said a sad farewell to the area’s main hotel as it closed its doors last weekend.

Brother and sister duo, Bryan Burch and Jane Kerr, were the managers of the Kilcreggan Hotel until Sunday, when it closed for the last time.

The pair decided to terminate their lease three months ago due to problems with the building.

Bryan told the Advertiser: “We have had the hotel for a year, and did have plans to buy it in the future, but there’s too many problems.

“It’s just everyday problems with the age of the building.

“Our lease had the option to terminate it after one year, so that’s what we decided to do.”

He added: “There’s a few problems with the building and it would make it a bigger project than we thought it would be.”

They explained that although they would be sad to see the hotel close, they had a great time running it.

“We have enjoyed running the hotel,” Bryan continued, “but we realised that we couldn’t carry on. We would need to make large financial investment.”

They explained that although the decision to close is sad, it is the right one for them at this time.

Bryan added: “There’s a few locals that are a bit miffed but we have been working 15 hour days from when we wake up to when we lock up at night and it’s too much.

“It’s very sad for the local community but Tim [Gay, the building’s owner] ran it for five years before us and he can’t run it again.”

Following their last day in charge on Sunday, Bryan and Jane posted on the hotel’s Facebook page to say: “Thank you so much to everyone who came out this weekend to say goodbye, we have been inundated with well wishes, cards, flowers, and choccies.

“Our last night was a great party in the back bar with lots of drinking, dancing and laughing as well as a very emotional farewell.

“We will be keeping in touch and would just like to say once again thank you to you all for the last year.”

Speaking about the future of the hotel, Bryan said he was unsure what Mr Gay had planned.

However, speculation in response to a ‘farewell’ post on the hotel’s Facebook page suggested the building may be turned into apartments in the future.

In response to these claims, Mr Gay said: “At present it has been leased out for the last year. We don’t have a tenant lined up and we aren’t in a position to run it ourselves again.

Tim said he could not confirm if the hotel would be turned into flats, but added: “Maybe, it’s a possibility but it has not been decided yet.”

The news of the hotel’s closure attracted plenty of social media comment, with many residents and visitors expressing their sadness at the news.

On Facebook Claire Fletcher said she was “totally gutted” and “still in shock”, while Helen Houston added: “Very sad day guys. Feel for you both. You worked extremely hard, and your food was exceptional.”