A High Wycombe pub that has been hit by an outdoor live music ban has reassured its customers that it is not shutting down - as a petition to reverse the restriction gets more than 2,000 signatures.

Pubgoers who frequent The Antelope in Church Square were shocked when Wycombe District Council decided to forbid outdoor music after receiving "a number of complaints" from residents living in the area.

The pub has hosted a string of top bands and performers on its outdoor music stage - called the "lope stage" - including Toploader, The Hoosiers and Doctor and the Medics.

Staff at The Antelope say they have heard rumours that some customers think the pub is shutting down - but they have insisted this is not the case.

In a post on their Facebook page, they said: "Just so all are aware, we’ve not closed: we are open as usual (12pm-6am on Fri and Sat, and 12pm-3am Sun-Thurs).

"The only difference is that we don’t have live bands on our outdoor stage anymore."

They also shared a link to the petition to save their outdoor music - which has gathered more than 2,000 signatures.

In a statement on the petition page, landlord Mark Adkins, who took over the running of the pub in January 2015, said that the outdoor stage attracted more visitors to High Wycombe.

He said: "The stage events not only paid for bands to perform, but also gave employment to photographers, sound engineers, stagehands, door staff, advertising staff and booking agents.

"Customers and bands would often eat at other businesses prior to a gig and also visit other pubs before and after the gigs, which helped bring revenue into the town.

"While not the most important thing on a list of reasons to visit or study in the town, it does attract people that would otherwise look to other towns and is a benefit to the town as a whole."

When Mark was informed that the sound from the lope stage was "carrying too far", he set about trying to work with Wycombe District Council to fix the problem, he said.

He added: "I apologise to any residents nearby that have been affected by the live music at The Antelope, but I do hope that they take into account the fact that we only have live music on weekends during the warmer months and not all year round, and that they recognise it is only ever in the evening, and always finishes before 11pm.

"I’ve personally noticed that the town centre is always noisy during and even after this time on weekends due to the presence of pubs and bars in the area. There have even been instances in the past where The Antelope was accused of causing a sound disturbance with the stage, but we were able to prove with CCTV that the stage wasn’t actually in use at the time of the disturbance.

"This highlights to me that the town centre is naturally noisy enough on a weekend to receive complaints, even without our stage in use."

Mark says he is planning to appeal the decision to revoke the pub's outdoor music licence.

Signing the petition, Lee Adkins said: "Wycombe used to have a vibrant live music scene and has a history of great bands that have passed through. The Blues Loft at the Nags Head was a well known venue that has sadly closed but when the Antelope started hosting music events that buzz came back to the town. It’s so sad that a minority is destroying this rich and exciting culture."

Melissa Kealey-Bennett added: "I'm signing because this pub has been lifting up High Wycombe as a town again and encouraging people to go there rather than Reading or somewhere else like London.

"This is an awesome music venue and should be saved."

Wycombe District Council said the outdoor licence was revoked because the pub "continually breached" its licence conditions and a subsequent noise abatement notice despite "giving extensive assistance and advice".

To sign the petition, go to www.change.org/p/wycombe-district-council-save-the-live-music-at-the-antelope-high-wycombe.