Cumbrian pub wins back right to serve alcohol until 3am

By James Broadhurst

Last updated at 13:58, Thursday, 29 November 2012

A Workington pub has won back its right to serve alcohol until 3am.

Padua House, Workington

Allerdale council’s licensing panel approved an application by Padua House on Washington Street to vary its premises licence, with the pub now being able serve alcohol until 3am.

Following a licensing panel review last September, Padua House was issued with a number of conditions after police found 80 drunk 15-year-olds on the premises.

The opening hours were cut by an hour, a Challenge 30 ID policy was brought in and alcohol had to be sold in plastic glasses.

But in May, after the Washington Street pub owners brought in new licensees in March, Allerdale Council agreed to a six-month trial period to relax the conditions by allowing longer opening hours and bringing in a Challenge 25 scheme.

With the trial period ending, the licensees, Robyn McDowell and Christopher Pool, wanted to make the changes permanent.

After the meeting, Mr Pool expressed his delight with the panel’s decision to grant the application.

He said: “We are pleased. It’s a family-run business and for Robyn it’s her full-time employment.

“It’s been a long six months of hard work.”

But at the meeting, Sergeant Richard Farnworth of Cumbria police, objected to the granting of the licence and urged the panel to not let the pub stay open an extra hour.

He said: “Crime is a problem in the immediate vicinity of Padua’s.”

He added that there had been 35 recorded violent crime incidents on Washington Street in 2012 and that Padua’s had to take responsibility for some of the incidents that take place outside their immediate vicinity.

Paul Nicholson of Milburns Solicitors, acting on behalf of Padua’s, said that he and his clients accepted three incidents that the police had put forward relating to Padua’s and that none were of a serious nature and in all cases they were dealt with properly. He added that since May an inspection had been carried out by Allerdale Council and police and all was found to be in order with no advice offered on potential improvements.

Also since May Padua’s had employed an extra door supervisor, improvements had been made to the CCTV system and they had maintained their no glass bottle policy.

Mr Nicholson said: “They are doing their job properly. If you move the hour back, you move the problem back an hour.”

Padua’s is now able to serve alcohol and provide entertainment until 3am on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and until 2am on Sunday nights, with closing time half an hour later.

First published at 13:56, Thursday, 29 November 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk