PINT lovers have vowed to fight to revive a desolate pub before it falls victim to housing developers.

Oxford Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) is pushing for a council's support to freeze the sale of The General Elliot in South Hinksey, so that residents can stockpile funds to buy it back for the community.

The campaign group's pub protection officer Tony Goulding said: "The last pub in every village should be saved. It would be a tragedy for the village if it didn't stay as a pub."

The award-winning drinking spot flailed in its final few years and was put up for sale in April, despite a stint under new owners who bought the lease in 2014 after five years of closure.

Mr Goulding, 68, said: "The General Elliot didn't close because of poor trading, it closed because of personal reasons of the people renting it.

"It was a friendly rustic old pub that had been nicely refurbished and had very good food.

"The trouble is it's worth more to whoever sells it as a house, especially in the area we live in – that site is a gold mine.

"Breweries and individuals can be very tempted by those high costs of property and that's not doing us any favours. Pubs are easy targets."

CAMRA want to persuade Vale of White Horse District Council to label The General Elliot an asset of community value, which would force owners Vale Brewery to take it off the market for six months and give residents a chance to raise money to buy it themselves.

Mr Goulding added: "We are going to fight for it. CAMRA has saved the pint – now we need to save the pubs that serve them."

Councillors at a South Hinksey Parish Council meeting this month said some residents have concerns that a new pub would increase traffic and noise.

But villager Adrian Porter, who lives in Manor Road, said there were only a "small minority" who were not in favour.

The 45-year-old said: "Having the pub as a community asset would be a huge benefit. The word 'community' is critical.

"There are two focal points in the village - one is the church and one is the pub, and you get people who favour one over the other.

"Without the pub you lose that opportunity to meet and greet people both from the village and outside.

"It's really important that we do everything we can. It would be a huge loss if it was not brought back to life."

Estate agent Davis Coffer Lyons is selling the three-storey stone pub for £550,000, complete with beer garden, parking, a staff annexe and outline planning permission for five additional letting rooms.