THE last pint has been pulled at a club for war heroes after a battle with the council has left them homeless.

Members of the Royal Naval Association Club in Chester called time when the deadline ran out for them to find new premises.

The ex-servicemen, many of whom were decorated after active service, had found two new buildings to move in to but were blocked by the city council.

Now they have said their goodbyes after meeting for a farewell drink on the last night.

Spokesman Ron Farr, 76, served on three ships with the Royal Navy.

He said: "It's a very sad day. I have got nothing to look forward to now and I know many of the others feel the same.

"We have coachloads of members from all over the country visiting our club but that will have to be stopped now.

"We have had good times here, everyone is very close. Many of the members are war heroes, former prisoners of war, and have medals. It's a great pity that it has come to this."

The club moved to its current home in Oddfellows Hall, off Great Bridge Street, 21 years ago.

Since 1999 they have tried to find a new home before their lease ran out on the current premises.

Owners of the property pledged £100,000 to help members relocate and they believed they had found the ideal premises when a Castle Street shop became vacant five years ago.

But they were told they would have to pay a £76,000 parking contribution if they took it over - a sum they just could not afford.

Two years ago they successfully bid to take over a vacant building at the entrance to the railway station. They were stopped from moving in after the city council refused their change of use application because it is a members-only club.

Now they have run out of time. A spokesman for the council said: "At the time of the first application a rule did exist about parking.

"Because of the limited parking in the city any business moving into new premises was asked to make a contribution to the parking and transport system based on the number of people who visit.

"The second application was turned down because it was in a regeneration area. We want that part of the city to be vibrant and busy throughout the day and the evening.

Mr Farr added: "It has been a difficult time. There's a lot of memories here. Many of the members had brought in their own memorabilia and pictures to hang on the wall but they have had to come in and remove them.

"We feel we have been very unfairly treated by the council and we just don't understand why.

"We will never forget what they have done to our club."