A petition to save a popular Croydon Wetherspoons has been signed by almost 1,000 people in less than a week.

There are fears that Wetherspoon will close The Skylark pub in South Croydon for good.

The petition was started by Croydon couple Greg Boyce and Angi Pyart, who heard rumours that the pub was closing, despite there being no official confirmation.  At the time of writing, it has been signed by 1,000 people.

It comes after the sudden shutdown of the Milan Bar in the High Street, which closed for good on Monday. But Wetherspoon remains tight-lipped about the Skylark and will not comment on whether the local rumours are true.

Greg and Angi fear that if the pub company makes the decision to close the pub in South End it would all happen quickly, as was the case with the Milan Bar.

Angi, 69, said she would be sad to see the pub go. She said: “They seem to be hanging on until the very last minute to say anything. So many local people can’t believe it would happen to a business with so much money. We were aiming for [any signatures] at all, we didn’t in our wildest dreams think it would go this big.”

The couple goes to the pub a few times a week and say it is usually very busy. Angi added: “It is a very nice community, it is a popular locals pub. There are some older people who go in for meals because it is affordable

“It is a good meeting place for the community and the staff are great. It is in the restaurant quarter in South Croydon so a lot of people pop in before or after their meal, it would be a huge loss to this area and the many regulars.”

The Skylark is the third top rated pub in Croydon on Tripadvisor with 3.5 stars.

One comment on the petition reads: “It would be devastating blow for a pub like Skylark to close down in South Croydon cos people like go there for few drinks pre and post meals at any restaurants nearby.”

While another said: “The pub is at the heart of the local community. Closing it will create a lot of social damage to it’s dedicated regulars.”