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Pub fights noise complaints from neighbour

Tony Fisher/BBC Man wearing a black jumper and red top sitting down in a pub with the beer taps and pictures in the background. Tony Fisher/BBC
Landlord Mark Granger said he has never had any complaints until "this neighbour moved in three years ago"

A pub which has been trading on the banks of the Grand Union Canal since the 1850s is fighting noise complaints from a neighbour.

Mark Granger, landlord of the Rising Sun in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, said the first complaint came from a new neighbour three years ago who "must have known the pub was there".

Mr Granger, 57, also described the actions of Dacorum Borough Council to try to restrict his outside drinking area as "vindictive".

In a statement, the council said it has "a statutory obligation to investigate every noise complaint we receive and must take all reasonable steps to do so".

Tony Fisher/BBC Outside of a pub with tables and benches and the canal running alongside. There is a lock in the background with a bridge beyond that.Tony Fisher/BBC
Mr Granger said it seemed bizarre that one person could make a complaint when there were lots of other pubs and houses along the waterway

In a Crowdfunder started by the pub, it states they have had about 50 police visits between August 2023 and March 2024.

It added that no other local pubs were known to have received similar unannounced visits over this period.

Mr Granger said none of the recordings by the local authority using decibel-measuring apps had reached an actionable level.

He said the council wanted to reduce the outside drinking area down to "two tiny areas of seating which would have made the business unviable".

"There is no evidence of any wrongdoing on my part, but the council has still tried to put severe restrictions on how I use my outside space. It is putting the cart before the horse," he said.

Tony Fisher/BBC Outside of a pub with tables and benches and a European Union flag flying with houses in the background.Tony Fisher/BBC
The pub has so far incurred legal costs of £14,000 to keep the outside trading space

Mr Granger said he felt like the council was waging war on him as he was an "easy target" as the pub was not tied to a brewery - "it is just little old me".

He is "looking to raise £40,000 to future-proof against any more legal action and the money will go to not just protect me but we are hoping to set a precedent to protect other pubs which find themselves in the same situation".

So far he said "we have had an outpouring of love from the community".

A statement from the council said it had had three complaints about the pub between June 2023 and September 2024.

"No formal enforcement action has been taken and we have provided advice and guidance to all parties," it said.

"We currently have no open investigations in relation to this premises.

"However, should further complaints be received these will be investigated as required by law."

The neighbour who raised the complaint has been contacted by the BBC.

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