Beefeater may be closing as doors locked during opening time

Whitbread - which owns the Albert Beefeater, in Cowdray Avenue - confirmed plans to axe about 1,500 jobs across the UK in April. 

The group, which also owns the adjoining Premier Inn hotel, said the job cuts are still subject to consultation.

Venue - where Beefeater resides (Image: Newsquest)

It said the move is part of a plan to “optimise” its food and drink offering to add more than 3,500 hotel rooms across its estate and increase “operational efficiencies”.

A spokesman for Whitbread said: "We recognise that this will be unsettling for our team members, and we are providing them with dedicated support.

"We are committed to working hard to enable as many as possible of our affected team members to stay with us by either transferring into new roles or by taking up other vacancies across the business more broadly through our existing recruitment activity." 

Sign - The Albert Beefeater si... (Image: Newsquest)

However, there are reports some bookings at the Albert have been cancelled due to a "lack of stock". 

Sir Bob Russell, High Steward of Colchester, said: "Word was that it was going to close on July 4... but what about this?

"One of my sons had last week booked a three-generation family lunch for this afternoon [Sunday] but got a phone call this morning to say they did not have enough food in stock to do meals – and were now only doing breakfasts.

"It's a big pity that the Albert Beefeater is going, or perhaps gone."

Duo - Beefeater and Premier Inn are both owned by Whitbread (Image: Newsquest)

Sir Bob returned later in the day for a drink but said the doors were locked.

He continued: "Sunday evening, around 6.15pm, I called at the Albert for a refreshing drink. The doors were locked.

"I think it may have already closed for good."

However, Whitbread bosses insist the site is "currently open and trading".

Despite this, when the Gazette went to the Albert Beefeater, at 1.45pm on Tuesday, we found the doors were locked but the lights to be on.

The store was also said to be open on Google, and no physical signs were up saying the restaurant is closed.

We then went next door to Premier Inn, which Whitbread also owns, to ask if they knew anything.

Both the Premier Inn manager and the Beefeater manager, who was there at the time, declined to answer any questions or comment.