A slump in the economy, a lack of passing trade and a bad reputation have been blamed for the closure of an Oxford pub.

The Black Boy in Old High Street, Headington, will be shutting its doors to customers indefinitely on Tuesday as its tenants, The Mustard Group, pull out.

Manager Charlie Clayton said the pub had failed to build up a regular clientele since it was renovated in July last year.

He said: "I think it's a combination of things really, a lack of trade, people not knowing we are here, beer prices have gone up and people don't have the money to go spending in pubs these days.

"Pubs are a dying trade - a ridiculous amount of pubs in the UK have closed in the past year.

"The Black Boy also had a such a bad reputation in the past, I don't think a lot of local people know how much it has changed and haven't been coming in."

Mr Clayton said the closure of the pub next week had come about quickly, having only learnt about it himself last Thursday.

He added: "Greene King own the pub so it will be for them to decide what they want to do with it.

"They may reopen it, or they may chose to keep it closed.

"The brewery might try and get managers in, but it will be closed indefinitely until it does."

One factor Mr Clayton was not blaming, however, was the smoking ban, which came into force before the pub reopened.

He said: "We have always operated when the smoking ban was in effect and I don't know what it was like before that.

"We have tried more to build up the pub's reputation as a food pub, but it hasn't had the impact we would have hoped for."

Regional manager for Greene King Nick Morris said the brewery would look to get temporary tenants into the pub in the short term.

He added: "The site has terrific potential and we are confident of having a new licensee in place as soon as possible."