A PUB in Caerphilly county has been forced to close down. 

The Coopers Arms in Ystrad Mynach, Hengoed closed down at the end of July amid the ongoing financial crisis. 

Numerous hospitality outlets have been facing difficulties in recent years, all stemming from the coronavirus pandemic. 

While it has not been officially confirmed that The Coopers Arms has closed down due to financial issues, many other pubs and restaurants have closed over the last few years, citing rising costs as the main reason for closure. 

The Coopers Arms officially closed on Friday, July 26, with the news confirmed in a post shared to the now defunct Facebook page. 

The owner said the decision had been made with "a heavy heart", implying that the choice had been forced rather than made. 

The full post read: "It is with a heavy heart that i have to announce that today [July 26] will be the last day The Coopers Arms will be open. I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart and all the staff who have worked for me. Their continued loyalty and commitment especially these last few weeks. 

"Thank you to all the customers that have walked through the door. I feel privileged to have made so many friends."

The post was ended with a plan for some farewell drinks that evening before the doors closed for one final time.  

Residents reacted to the news with an overwhelming sense of sadness, reflecting on many years of history with the pub. 

Many people reminisced about how they remembered the pub from years gone by, and how some of them had even worked there as young children, so had very fond memories, from the 1980s and beyond. 

One commenter mentioned how it had always been "packed out" when she visited, so felt it was "such a shame" to see it close for good, while others also recalled seeing it as a "thriving business" in recent weeks, so felt the news came as a bit of a shock.