An eleventh-hour bid to block a landlord's repossession of a popular Carlisle bar in a dispute over unpaid rent has failed.

Nigel Tarn, owner of Moo Bar in Devonshire Street, asked a district judge to intervene, saying he should be allowed to continue trading there because his financial woes were triggered by exceptional circumstances.

But after a hearing at Carlisle County Court, District Judge Wasim Taskeen ruled that the landlord was entitled to repossess the property, and there was no legal reason to overturn this.

The court heard that by June 23, Moo Bar had rent arrears of £21,651, with Mr Tarn offering to pay £12,000 of from another of his businesses. So he still owed £9,651 in unpaid rent.

The landlord's agent Walton Goodland repossessed the property on July 18, two days after the building's owner was legally entitled to.

In court, Mr Tarn said had no access to £15,000 worth of stock locked in the premises – though he was offered access last Friday. He explained why the arrears built up.

Mr said he was in and out of hospital during September, October and November, having biopsies for suspected throat cancer, though this was now been discounted. To resolve the business impact he appointed Robert Sanders as his operations director.

“The second thing was that while Devonshire Street didn't flood in December, Carlisle did," said Mr Tarn.

"People didn't want to go out and celebrate over Christmas because their houses were wet and their businesses were wet. They were too busy dealing with their problems to party."

This had a major impact on Moo Bar, with December's takings down to £18,000, compared to £78,000 the previous December. “Our ability to pay the rent in the future is governed by our ability to trade," he added.”

David Tew, for the landlord, said his client was concerned about the ability of Moo Bar to pay future rent.

He said the business faced financial problems before the floods and there was an application to strike out the company over an alleged failure to file accounts.

District Judge Wasim said there was nothing to suggest the landlord was not entitled to repossess.

Dismissing Mr Tarn's applications, he noted he had said he was "unwilling and unable" to pay the arrears, saying he had already invested £120,000 in the property. The judge said Moo Bar should pay the £1,100 legal costs of the landlord within 28 days. After the case, Mr Tarn said: “We'll fight this."