Pub has licence revoked following complaints from residents and police

A pub that caused residents “absolute sheer terror and horror” has had its licence revoked by councillors.

The Bull Inn in Crews Hole was shut down at the request of Bristol City Council’s neighbourhood enforcement team (NET) backed by the police who say officers spend a disproportionate amount of time there dealing with disorder, nuisance and reports of mass brawls and threats to cut throats.

Some neighbours have even moved house to get away from the 118-year-old pub, while many who remain no longer approach the manager Steve Aldom for fear of reprisals and verbal abuse, the city council licensing sub-committee heard.

The beat team police sergeant told a hearing at City Hall that Aldom was rude, angry and swore at officers called to incidents, while music was actually turned up after residents complained about noise.

Two fines of £1,000 and £2,000 for repeated Covid breaches since lockdown eased in April have not been paid, councillors heard.

The Bull Inn has had its licence revoked – photo: Ellie Pipe

But tenant Aldom and business partner Ian Morrey, the premises licence holder, insisted they ran a much-loved community pub that had been the victim of malicious and fabricated reports to police of dozens of people fighting.

Regulars submitted a petition and told the hearing it should be saved. But other residents and the authorities told a very different story.

NET brought the review on the grounds that the licensing objectives of public safety and the prevention of crime and disorder and public nuisance were being undermined.

Bristol City Council senior enforcement officer Steve Eyers said late-night drunkenness and rowdy behaviour over a sustained period had “required a lot of attention from NET, public health and the police”.

“The Bull is very poorly managed with issues of antisocial behaviour including patrons shouting and urinating against residents’ fences and in their gardens,” he said.

Eyers said the manager ran the pub, in Crews Hole Road, despite Morrey being the licensee and designated premises supervisor and that only Aldom had attended meetings with NET and police to discuss concerns.

Lorraine Francis, a Green councillor for Eastville ward, who lives near the pub, said she had lodged complaints with the council about “absolutely appalling behaviour” since it reopened in 2017.

She said: “My next-door neighbour has moved out as a direct result of the impact of the pub. There has been an escalation in antisocial behaviour and noise.

“It’s not a case of disgruntled neighbours opposing a pub, it’s the absolute sheer terror and horror being experienced by residents because of the pub.”

Avon & Somerset Police licensing officer Louise Mowbray said there was a 60 per cent rise in calls to the force about the Bull Inn in 2020 and 2021 compared with 2016-19, even though lockdown meant it was closed for much of that period.

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Read more: Pub of the Week: The Bull Inn

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Aldom said that after taking over the pub in 2017 he had got rid of a biker gang and a “drug element”.

He told the hearing that the Bull sponsored local football teams and the air ambulance, and said he could recall only two people ever asking him to turn music down and that he did so.

Morrey said that “it has been a dream of ours to have a pub which is part of the community. That’s very important and it’s how I view the pub.”

The pair’s solicitor, Ewen Macgregor, said revoking the licence would not be fair to the community.

He said: “It’s clear Steve and Ian have not always got things right but they have tried and they have acted on advice.

“It is not fair to say they have not engaged with the authorities. This review arises through Covid. There was a perfect storm of events…

“We fully accept that for a period of time these premises have become a big irritant but when premises become an irritant they tend to get blamed for everything that happens,” he said

“There is no evidence of drug-taking in the pub or the car park. When you look at the police reports of 30 or 50 people fighting, those were malicious calls.

Announcing the decision to revoke the licence, panel chairman Guy Poultney said: “The sub-committee considers this to be the only appropriate and proportionate step to address the cause of the concerns that instigated the review and considers the lack of involvement in responsibility of the premises licence holder to be a fundamental concern that no other step could address.”

The pub has 21 days to appeal to the magistrates’ court.

Adam Postans is a local democracy reporter for Bristol. Main photo by Ellie Pipe

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