Pub closed after attack applies for new licence

A pub which closed after a customer's face was fractured in an attack has applied to reopen under new management.

Memory Lane in Seaham, County Durham, closed in April after police and the council raised concerns over the venue's management.

It lost its licence the next month, but Terrie Price, who hopes to become the new supervisor, has submitted a new application.

Durham County Council’s licensing department has objected to it and said it had no confidence it would be "properly run".

The local authority claims the pub will not be run by Mrs Price, but by others linked to the venue.

"Due to the ongoing situation with the partnership at the premises the Licensing Authority has no confidence that the premises will be properly run," said Nicola Anderson, licensing enforcement officer.

A previous licensing meeting heard there was an ongoing family feud regarding the ownership of the premises and management of the CCTV system.

The new bid for a licence includes daily opening hours between 09:00 and 23:00, with an extension to 01:00 for Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

If approved, several conditions will be added to the licence, including a constantly operating CCTV system and zero tolerance to staff drinking alcohol on duty.

People seen taking drugs at the venue would also be removed immediately and banned from the premises for at least a year.

The licence is due to be considered by the council on Tuesday.

The licensing committee previously ruled there were "clear failings" with the business and said staff lacked training.

The attack, which took place on 20 April, left the victim with broken eye sockets and needing jaw surgery.

A woman at the pub was heard shouting "he’s nearly dead", but the police were not called, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Premises supervisor Emma Bird has since appealed the decision to strike the licence, which will be considered at Peterlee Magistrates' Court in February 2025.

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