Landlady's fight to keep historic pub open for business

The landlady of an iconic Lancashire pub had been in post for just over a fortnight when an unannounced hygiene inspection slapped down a rating that told her major improvement was needed.

- by Luke Beardsworth

Dawn Markland and her team at The Top Lock.

(Blog Preston)

Dawn Markland is at the helm at The Top Lock, a popular pub in summer due to its canalside location near Wheelton, having taken over in March 2025.

But on 8 April, food safety officers from Chorley Council visited The Top Lock and scored it a 1 out of 5, saying major improvement was necessary.

The report said that a number of those improvements had to be made to comply with the law.