A pub owner has reportedly demolished his own pub after being refused a pint at closing time.
Mark Swistun, 45, is said to have been refused service at the Royal Oak in Penclawdd on the Gower, South Wales, which he bought with a partner last year and reportedly spent £60,000 refurbishing.
Locals claim he then returned several hours later with a 28 tonne digger and smashed through the pub walls.
The digger reportedly cause £40,000 of damage with parts of the walls of the lounge bar extension flattened, roof tiles dislodged and outdoor tables and chairs crushed, according to the Mail Online.
Landlady Heather Skipper said she had been asleep when the digger started and came down in her pyjamas to see “half the pub had been demolished”.
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South Wales Police have said a 45-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage on 26th July at 1am.
A spokesman for the local fire and rescue service have confirmed the building has been secured from fire or gas leaks.
Mr Swistun and his business partner Colin McDonald took over the pub last year.
Mr McDonald confirmed no one was hurt and said his focus was getting the pub reopened.
In a jokey photo published on the pub's Facebook page On Saturday showed the pub had reopened with a barman pulling pints in a hard hat.
A man pulling pints with a hard hat in a nod to the semi-demolished pub
He praised the community for its support, telling the South Wales Evening Post: "On Sunday morning we had people coming here to help us with the clean up.
"It doesn't surprise me because that is what our regulars are like. It is very much a community pub."
