A LANDLADY who has closed her pub told how TV show Hotel Inspector damaged her business.

Far from improving the Crown Inn, in Lewes, Karen Lloyd said the Channel 5 programme which brings in presenter Alex Polizzi to makeover struggling bed and breakfasts did nothing to change its fortunes.

Ms Lloyd was speaking after residents complained about being kicked out accommodation above the pub in Market Street, following the pub's closure.

The 59-year-old said appearing on the show in 2009 was a disaster. 

She said: “That show was the worst thing I have ever done.

“They put a carpet in and it was threadbare in three months.

“She walked into a shower they wouldn’t let me clean, and she said ‘I'm being persecuted by pubes’.

“I then got harassed by a woman in Wales who rang me up to tell me to put a hair net on my crotch.

“That’s what it does to you, it makes it worse.

"And eight years later they are still showing it which makes it even more humiliating."

The Hotel Inspector hosted by hotelier Alex Polizzi has been attempting to transform hotels and bed and breakfasts for 18 series.

It failed to turn the fortunes of the town centre pub and bed and breakfast, which closed in April this year.

Ms Lloyd ultimately put down the closure of the pub down to the decline in the pub industry and the appearance of hotel chain Premier Inn in Lewes.

She said: “What really killed my pub was Premier Inn. When they opened the hotel it really caused a lot of trouble for me and other pubs.

“Companies use to book my accommodation for workmen but that slowed down with the new hotel, losing us revenue on the bar too.”

Ms Lloyds comments come after The Argus reported residents living above the pub being given handwritten notes telling them they would be evicted in a week.

Resident Michael Hobro, who left the Crown Inn on Tuesday after being left in the lurch, said: “It is sad it has ended this way, but at the same time it is very sad she has let the place go into dilapidation since becoming landlady.

“A number of people who used to go there said its closure was long overdue.”

Ms Lloyd has ended her lease with owner Ei Publican Partnerships and will be handing back the keys today. She predicts Ei will sell the historic pub.

A spokeswoman for Ei said: “We are currently considering options for The Crown Inn, Lewes, and will conclude our review in the very near future.”