'Noisy' pub could lose late licence

A Ludlow pub could have its late-night licence withdrawn after a raft of complaints have been received from local residents and businesses.

The Bull Hotel's licence will be reviewed on Wednesday during a meeting of the licensing and appeals sub-committee.

The move comes after a request from the manager of the Feathers Hotel, Ian Taylor, to review the licence which currently allows The Bull Hotel to stay open until 1am Fridays and Saturdays.

Mr Taylor asked for the review, saying it was damaging his business.

"Every weekend there's always noise and disturbance," he said previously.

"We have many bedrooms overlooking the street, this causes disturbance. Many guests leave the hotel very upset."

There have been 37 representations to the South Shropshire Licensing Committee and those calling for change include local firms, police, the environmental health department and residents in the town.

The police submission to the committee indicates that there have been 28 incidents and significant visits to The Bull Hotel since December 2007.

Many refer to the premises "as a nightclub in all but name" and others have complained of excessive noise, reports of fights and anti-social behaviour.

But owners of The Bull Hotel, Michael Aston and Liam Bufton, deny claims that the pub is turning into a nightclub.

Mr Ashton said: "We are aware that there have been some problems but it has only been since August since the licence has gone through."

He added that they had had only a short while to address the problems.

"We are doing all we can to try and sort this out and we will do everything to reduce noise levels," he said.