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Wednesday, August 22, 2007 | 21:39
 | | The Cross pub at Woodbridge |
A LANDLORD has been warned he will lose his licence if he continues to fail to control the number of people in his market town pub.
Collin Dagnall, of The Cross public house in Woodbridge, was ordered to take action on Tuesday at a meeting of Suffolk Coastal District Council's licensing panel.
It follows an inspection of his premises in May which found there were 100 people in the pub, on the corner of The Thoroughfare and Church Street, when there should have been no more than 60.
He has been told that as of October 19 he must have two trained door supervisors to control the numbers entering the premises on Friday and Saturday nights, Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve or when there is a pre-planned event.
Last night Mr Dagnall said he was “disappointed” by the ruling and has now decided to put his pub up for sale because he cannot afford to run it.
“From a business point of view restricting the number of customers to 60 just isn't sustainable,” he said. “What with the smoking ban also reducing numbers and the rise in rates I can't justify carrying on.
“As a result I'm putting the pub on the market. It's a shame because I've been there eight years but with all the legislation and red-tape I think it's about time to go.”
Following a request from police, the licensing panel also agreed no new customers should be allowed in the pub after 11pm on Friday and Saturday nights and a series of monthly checks should be carried out to monitor health and safety issues.
The Cross was the first pub to be inspected by the Suffolk Coastal Licensing Partnership (SCLP), which has been formed to make sure all licensed premises in the district are providing a safe and legal service to their customers.
The SCLP includes representatives of the licensing team, fire service, trading standards, the police, environmental protection and food safety.
Gary Phillips, deputy fire officer of Suffolk Fire and Rescue, said: “With more people in the pub than allowed, everyone was put at real risk of harm if there had been a fire.
“This was a serious breach of the rules and I am pleased the panel has taken steps to stop it happening again.”
Les Binns, chairman of the licensing and health committee, added: “This decision shows this council and its partners are ready to take action against any premises that are breaching the rules of their licence.
“I hope that this will act as a warning to everyone else that they should continue to make sure their premises are safe and legal.”
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