Retired police officer who became landlord to save local pub dies

A former Merseyside police officer who came out of retirement to save his local pub from closure has died at the age of 63.

Ritchie Whitworth, who served with the force for 33 years, died after a short illness.

For the last eight years, he was landlord of the Plasterers Arms in Hoylake, Wirral, where he’d been a regular for many years. He ran the pub with his wife Michele.