An Essex pub has been stripped of its licence for one month after CCTV footage was overwritten following an assault outside the premises.

Magistrates in Chelmsford imposed the suspension on The Sailor Boy, in Beach Road, St Osyth, during an appeal on Thursday along with revised licence conditions.

An initial licence review was initially requested by Essex Police following allegations of assault outside the pub in October 2020 involving bar staff and a customer.

During the subsequent police investigation some CCTV footage was supplied by the pub, but following a second request for additional footage, officers were told it had been overwritten 26 days after the incident.

However, the pub's licence conditions stated that CCTV footage should be kept for a minimum of 28 days.

This breach of condition, and concern over the serious nature of the allegations, led Tendring District Council (TDC) to impose a three-month licence suspension, reduced hours on the pub for licensed activities and remove the provision of late night food in February 2021.

The appeal followed this decision.

On Thursday, magistrates allowed the appeal and reduced the penalty, a move supported by the council after legal discussions.

As well as a one-month suspension of the pub’s licence, its conditions will be reduced to opening between 10am and 1am, with last entry time of 11.30pm.

In addition, one of the named licence holders will be removed from the licence, and pub representatives were ordered to pay £6,250 in legal costs to TDC.

Stephen Dyble, representing The Sailor Boy, told Chelmsford Magistrates' Court that during the incident on the night in question a security guard working for a neighbouring business was assaulted.

The customer who had been ejected from the pub was later convicted of that assault.

The pub’s licence holder has told the court they have drawn up an action plan following the incident – to include installation of improved CCTV and increased staff training – to reduce the likelihood of future incidents and handle them differently if they do occur.

Alison Lambert, representing TDC, told the court that in the circumstances and on the basis that there were no further complaints, the revised conditions were an acceptable compromise and did not oppose the appeal on those grounds.