Owners of a Donington pub have accused Facebook of removing their page on the social media site.
The British establishment, run by couple Julie and Lee Loac, had accumulated a following of thousands on its official page on the platform.
They are said to be ‘devastated’ by the decision as the page was allegedly pulled from the site with no warning, and claim they still don’t know the reason behind its removal weeks later.
The Black Bull pub is located in Donington, Lincolnshire (Trip Advisor)
The Loach’s run the Black Bull, in Donington, Lincolnshire, and believe that their Facebook page was deleted due to copyright reasons as their pub’s name is fairly common throughout the country.
With over 8,500 followers at the time of its removal, the couple have been left distraught, with Julie telling the BBC: “It is an absolute travesty for the business,
“It is like someone has died.”
She claimed that they aren’t the only victims, adding: “There are other Black Bull pubs that have had their Facebook page pulled. I’m assuming it’s something to do with copyright.”
The pub, where lunch, dinner and afternoon teas are served, claimed that 80 percent of their food bookings were taken through the social media site.
The Black Bull’s official page was taken down on 8 September and, to rub salt in the wound, the existing reservations made on there went with it.
The couple have been left in a tough situation since their pub’s page was removed (Julie and Lee Loach)
Julie and Lee say they’ve been left completely in the dark and their business is suffering because of what’s happened.
The former revealed: “I’ve lost bookings, inquiries, lots of contacts that are not yet finalised.
“I have no way of contacting anyone.”
The pub co-owner claimed it was near impossible to get in touch with those working at Facebook, meaning they have been stuck in the middle for almost six weeks, no closer to a solution.
Julie admitted: “We’re just a tiny little pinprick in their massive Facebook world.”
Husband Lee highlighted that working in the hospitality sector was ‘hard enough’ and described this headache of a situation as ‘another kick in the teeth’, despite believing that the Black Bull page was deleted by mistake at first.
He revealed that his wife was ‘panicking’ initially, and he tried to calm her down by explaining that they can’t just delete pages.
“I said, ‘Don’t worry they can’t just wipe it’,” Lee said. “But they did.”
LADbible has contacted Facebook for comment.