A prominent Ludlow music festival has been scrapped after 20 years.

Tim Lord said that, despite it being his last year organising Ludlow Jazz Festival, he had decided to ditch plans for the 2009 event at the Bull Hotel because of noise pollution restrictions placed on the venue. 

Problems arose in December after licensing chiefs ordered the management at the Bull Hotel to reduce its late night weekend opening hours. 

The hotel’s licence came under scrutiny after complaints about noise and disturbance. 

Mr Lord said changes in the management of the pub had also left him less keen to carry on.

He said: “I did say that this festival would be my last but then we had all the trouble with the Bull Hotel.”

“I did look at handing it on to somebody else but then we had all the trouble with the Bull and there is nowhere else in Ludlow that we could do it.

“We did look very actively at getting other people to run it but it is the Bull that snookered it. For Ludlow, it is an awful thing to have happened.”

The previous landlords, Michael Ashton and Liam Bufton, left the pub in December although it has since been re-opened under new management. 

Ashley Clewlow, on behalf of the Bull Hotel said: “We had not even considered it one way or another. We are only here as a temporary measure until the brewery finds someone permanent.”  

Most of the top names in British jazz have played in the historic Bull yard including Humphrey Lyttelton, George Melly, Digby Fairweather, The Alex Reunion Band and many more. 

The Bryan Jones Big Band has played at all 20 festivals. 

Mr Lord added: “I want to concentrate on promoting jazz in my home town of Bridgnorth with a now well- established festival in October.” This year’s festival will run from October 23 to 25 with the Severn Valley Railway running a special train. 

By Sophie Bignall