By Richard SmithSTRICT conditions have been imposed on the running of a town centre pub that has had a troubled history.Licensing justices agreed yesterday to give three people a new licence for The Angel pub inWoodbridge.

By Richard Smith

STRICT conditions have been imposed on the running of a town centre pub that has had a troubled history.

Licensing justices agreed yesterday to give three people a new licence for The Angel pub inWoodbridge.

Suffolk police also formally withdrew an application to revoke the licence for the Theatre Street pub, which is owned by Pubmaster.

The justices wished Michael Hearne, Michael Hanlon and Deborah Mayes success in running the pub, but warned police would be monitoring the premises.

The Angel was ordered to close three days a week in the summer because of public order problems. It was later given a High Court reprieve and allowed to trade normally, although with stringent conditions.

Mr Hearne is a director of Suffolk Inns Ltd, who have the pub's lease, and is licensee of the Castle Inn, Framlingham.

Mr Hanlon, who has run pubs in Butley and Saxmundham, will have day to day management of The Angel and will live at the premises.

Ms Mayes is a barmaid at The Angel and has nine years' experience in the licensed trade.

As part of its licence, The Angel will have to abide by a number of conditions and agreed not to ask for an extension to opening hours, except for Christmas and New Year's Eve.

The conditions were agreed before yesterday's hearing at Ipswich Magistrates' Court and The Angel will effectively have to remarket itself as a “family-focussed” pub and give priority to serving food.

The conditions include no jukebox, no live entertainment, no televised or radio transmissions of sporting events, no pool table and no promotion nights encouraging excessive consumption of alcohol.

Closed circuit television cameras will also cover the rear beer garden and front door, while the beer garden will have to be emptied by 10pm, two licensees will have to be at the pub every day and it will operate a “refuse to serve” book.

Woodbridge police's licensing officer, Caroline Millar, said they had no objections to the three licence holders and added officers were satisfied with the running of the pub in recent weeks.

richard.smith@eadt.co.uk