The boss of a pub being forced to close could be left out of pocket after ordering thousands of pounds of Christmas stock which will not be used.

The Pump and Tap, in Leicester's West End, has been told to shut its doors by Friday, November 27, because of plans by the property's owner De Montfort University to build a sports centre.

Pub boss John Husain has already ordered £10,000 of beer and spirits to see the venue through Christmas. He said he had expected to be given three months' notice by the university over the closure.

Demolition work has begun on the nearby Bowstring railway bridge to make way for the university leisure centre and pool, despite a hard-fought campaign to save it and the pub.

Mr Husain, who has run the venue for more than 20 years and usually orders stock for the festive season in early October, said he never expected the pub to be closed before Christmas.

He said: "It's a major hassle.

"We've always done our Christmas pre-ordering in October, which takes us through November and December and the New Year.

"We ordered £10,000 of stock about two weeks ago.

"It hasn't been delivered yet but we will be expected to pay for it – what happens next really depends on our relationship with the supplier.

"It's going to be difficult to get out of paying.

"We made the decision to go ahead and order for Christmas because I always expected to be given three months' notice by the university before having to close.

"But legally they're in their rights to have us out by November 27."

The pub is expected to be closed to customers by Monday, November 23 to allow equipment and furniture to be moved out.

Although Mr Husain also owns the Dos Hermanos and Barceloneta pub and restaurant, in Queens Road, Clarendon Park, he said much of the stock ordered for the Pump and Tap was not suitable for his other venues.

He said the campaign to save the pub and the Bowstring bridge was "still going strong".

"Being told to close is like organising the funeral for your best mate," he said.

"You know you've got to do it, but it's hard and you don't really want to do it."

"People are still very positive about what they want to do to save the pub and I feel sort of swept along by it, but still there's a sense of inevitability about it all."

Andy Wright, a pub regular and the former manager of the Charlotte, said: "I'm just disgusted with the whole thing.

"It's just the breaking down of the community again."

De Montfort University has not confirmed the pub will be torn down, but said it was "likely" that the site would form part of the new sports centre. It said it was unable to give further details on its plans and would not comment further.

Leicester Civic Society is this week expecting to hear the result of an appeal against a Government decision not to allow the bridge to be listed.