A pub in Wirral has been granted a later licence, despite its owner admitting there have been fights at the premises.
Charlie’s Bar, on Bebington Road in New Ferry, currently closes no later than 1am on Fridays and Saturdays and an hour earlier during the rest of the week.
Its owner Charlynne Blackburn wanted to serve booze until 4am, but reduced her request after speaking to Merseyside Police.
READ MORE: Update on puppy 'strangled' and beaten by its lying owner
At today’s meeting of Wirral Council’s Licensing Panel, she asked for permission to open and serve alcohol until 2am on Fridays and Saturday, and until 1am for the rest of the week.
Despite reports of trouble at the pub, the panel granted Ms Blackburn the opening times she had asked for, but said alcohol must only be served until 30 minutes before closing time.
These hours were granted with conditions attached, included that a bouncer must be put on the door on Friday and Saturday nights and that an incident book recording any activity of a violent, criminal or anti-social nature is kept.
Explaining why she wanted a longer licence, Ms Blackburn said: “We seem to have a nice crowd on the whole. We’ve got nice regulars and we get very few out-of-towners.”
She added: “If people want to carry on their evenings, they feel they’ve got to go to Birkenhead or Liverpool at the moment.
“They don’t want to go to Birkenhead because they don’t feel it’s safe and it’s expensive to go to Liverpool and they don’t want that.”
In contrast, the pub landlord said her premises would allow people the opportunity to carry on drinking in New Ferry if they wanted to.
The three councillor panel noted that there had been a representation from a local resident who worried about increased crime, disorder and noise should the extended hours be approved.
Conservative councillor David Burgess-Joyce asked about complaints that the pub was letting people out of the back door beyond its licensed hours.
But Ms Blackburn said that anyone could look at the pub’s security cameras and see that this was not true.
When asked by fellow Tory councillor Andrew Hodson why people would make such accusations, the pub landlord suggested they may have been barred in the past after causing trouble and picking fights.
The panel scrutinised Ms Blackburn further on the issue of violence at the pub and she admitted that there have been a few fights at Charlie’s Bar in the past, but insisted that she manages the problem effectively by barring people when necessary.
This included barring “about three people” last month.
Cllr Hodson added: “Am I just allowed to walk in if you don’t know me?”
Ms Blackburn responded: “If we don’t like the look of you we just don’t let you in. I know it’s a bit mean but …”
Despite this issue, Ms Blackburn wanted to be clear that her pub had a “really nice crowd” and patrons did not want problems.
When asked to describe what the pub was like, she said: “Customers like to have a little bit of a dance and a sing-song.
“We have a really nice crowd come in. We’ve got a lot of older people, we do have younger people but it’s mostly older customers who come in and just enjoy a nice time.
“We don’t want problems and we do try to get everybody home. We and whoever’s on the bar will happily ring a taxi for you.”
