IT was the final nail in the coffin for troubled Manor Barn, Buriton, after East Hampshire District Council’s licensing sub-committee revoked the wedding venue’s licence.

Last Friday’s move was something, according to a licensing spokesman, that they only do on “rare occasions”.

It comes just a week after Manor Barn owner Robert Camping announced that the place was up for sale for £6m and there would be no more weddings. He had 50 booked for the coming year, to be held at the venue south of Petersfield after April 10, which has left brides to be heartbroken.

Mr Camping did, however, promise to honour weddings booked for the next three months and would then use the proceeds of the property sale to pay back the couples who had ceremonies booked after that and had lost money.

Now he may have more money to pay back as without his licence he wont be able to hold the weddings he promised to honour.

In revoking his licence, a licensing sub-committee spokesman said it was something they had not done without seriously considering all other options.

In a statement, the council said: “A licence variation of 18 conditions had been proposed but, judging from the past history of the licence holder, the committee was not convinced these conditions would be met and the business operate in a way acceptable to the council and the local community. As a result, the committee felt it had no option but to revoke the licence.”

Mr Camping, who has run Manor Barn for several years, has constantly had to deal with complaints from neighbours about the noise and disturbance caused by the weddings.

The solution, he was told, would be to install a “sound-limiting” device in the centuries-old barn that would block the music being played at the ceremony and evening receptions so it couldn’t be heard outside.

Mr Camping said it would cost £500,000 which was “unrealistic”.

In December, one of the companies which arranges bookings for the venue, Goosebumps Weddings, went into receivership and Manor House Barns Ltd has been withdrawn from Companies House.

Mr Camping has admitted he is in a “difficult financial situation” but has stated he is “not running away” and once the business is sold he will pay back the couples who have put down a deposit and are now also having to pay more money to re-arrange new venues.