Pub campaigners are calling for new measures to be introduced to ensure their locals keep their doors open.

The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) is urging the Government to put pubs into a special class so owners must seek planning permission for a change of use or demolition.

It comes as a total of 2,000 pubs across England have now been listed as Assets of Community Value (ACV), a process that helps save community buildings from closure or conversion.

But local groups, including the Solway Branch of CAMRA, want the Government to cut out what they say has become a "frustrating process which puts a huge burden on local communities and councils, who deal with this lengthy and clunky procedure."

Legislation introduced in May last year removed Permitted Development Rights from pubs nominated as ACVs.

Once registered it means they are subject to the regular planning application process. Without being registered pubs can be demolished or converted without public consultation.

ACVs can be granted on any building that has a proven, strong community focus including libraries, community centres and post offices, but pubs have had by far the biggest take up with more half of almost 4,000 ACVs granted for pubs.

Mike Tuer, pubs officer, for the Solway Branch of CAMRA, said: "It's what we've been seeking for sometime. If they did that we wouldn't need these Assets of Community Value which take up a lot of time.

"If this was the case we wouldn't need to do as many of these assets of community value because they would automatically need planning permission."

He said for now ACVs are an important part of the process to save pub and adds weight to the planning process.

They force owners to seek planning permission for any change and a six -month moratorium before anything can be done giving communities the chance to know their pub is likely to close and offer to buy it.

"We're getting closer but we're not there yet," said Mr Tuer. "I would like to see it happen because I spend a lot of time doing assets of community value, which, while they're helpful. It's all we've got at the moment."

This year about 10 pubs closed across north Cumbria and most still stand empty.

There have been at least two registered as ACVs with community groups actively trying to buy pubs. The Stag Inn at Crosby-on-Eden and the Salutation Inn at Irthington, near Brampton, were registered as ACVs.

Despite the community groups being unsuccessful in their bid to take over the Salutation at Irthington and the Stag at Crosby-on-Eden, their efforts have helped secure their future as public houses.

The former Salutation reopened as The Sally just in time for Christmas after it was bought by Shaun Gardner and Jimmy Little.

Meanwhile The Wheatsheaf, in Abbeytown, near Wigton, which was closed by the pub company, was bought and reopened by a local butcher Tony Harrison and his wife Liz last month. There had also been plans for an ACV there.

Richard Boyle, who is converting former Drove Inn at Roweltown, north of Carlisle, into a house thinks pubs should be given planning protection on a case by case basis.

"If it's the only pub in the village and it's the heart and soul of that village then I would agree. But if you've got outlying pubs in a very sparsely populated area it's a different story," he said.

"For someone who has bought the place and wants to turn it into a house or whatever, it's down to them to try and turn it into what you want to turn it into.

"However, there's no way I would have taken this place on if it was still an up and running pub even if it was failing.

"I took on a derelict building. If there had been a whole load of houses around here and everyone relied on it, I wouldn't be the person to try and turn it into a house."