[Closed] Reasonable pub licensing hours in residential area.

1st question when did you move there?

3 am is taking the piss. But whatever you do make sure it's anonymous!

My local is in a small village, in fact it featured in a Sky One comedy drama over Christmas, and I usually leave there around midnight on a Friday and Saturday night, but nobody makes too much noise, and I think words might be had if there was; having said that, most of the drinkers there are villagers, so if they did make a noise it would be among themselves to sort it out.
As mws asks, how long has the OP lived there? If it's locals making the noise, I can't see an easy way to go about raising the issue without a degree of friction.

(edit to indicate sarcasm)

It's a village pub, that is what they do. Do not upset that or everyone in the village will hate you.

p.s. where do you live? our new landlords have started shutting by 2am - I'm thinking about moving.

I've lived in this village for a couple of years after moving from a nearby village before anyone accuses me of being a towny moving into the countryside and laying down the law.

Regardless I'm entitled to peaceful enjoyment of my own home surely?

It's a village pub, that is what they do. Do not upset that or everyone in the village will hate you.

I can live with that.

In my experience that is pretty typical of most local's country pubs. They tend not to be too bothered about licensing laws, and often some of the locals aren't too bothered about drink driving laws either. Probably best to start by just having a quick word with the landlord, ask him to make sure they keep the noise down after midnight. Anything else could make you quite unpopular.

I've lived in this village for a couple of years after moving from a nearby village

A quiet word with the landlord will result in a temporary reduction in noise, say a week or two, and identify yourself as the complainer. After a week or two you'll be back to square one with noise back to how it was.

Raise your complaint instead with the local council who issue the licence. They are better placed to have a 'quiet word' and you could remain anonymous?

Also I completely disagree with this

sometimes that means not living near the local pub.

Anyway, there must be a simple solution as after being there for 2 years it's only just become an issue. Anything changed, manager/owner?

What Mike said.

Some folk moved in over the road from my local (a 100 year old, renowned great drinking pub) within a year they had Closing time cut from 1am back to 11pm and no one stood outside the pub chatting/drinking after 10 as the noise meant the doctor, who worked shifts, couldn't get any sleep. Hes a popular chap. What irks even more is he's never even used the pub

Utter cobblers, while they have a right to run a business you also have a right not to have to suffer excess noise levels

Would you ask for a railway timetable to be changed if you moved near one and the trains kept you up? Or would you just not move there in the first place?

you only been there two years
you dont care if the whole village hate you
perhaps think about moving anyway then

Would you move near an airport and complain about the noise of the planes? How about a pub known for its live music and then complain about the music?

Do your research before you move somewhere near a known source of noise. Do not complain about the noise after you've moved in

Guess what I do for a living? 😉

It will say on their premises license a. what time they are allowed to serve alchohol until and b. what time people are allowed on the premises until. If it's 1am on a Saturday for alchohol by retail then it's likely they are only allowed people on the premises until 1.30am.

There will also be conditions on the license when they can play music until.

They are being unreasonable, you are not.

Here's my tuppence worth:

You need to call the local police licensing officer (He's responsible for everythng in this matter). Explain what is happening. Be nice, but serious. He will take action on your behalf. This will probably involve a 'quiet word' in the landlords ear (designated premises supervisor in technical terms) which will achieve the desired result, as he is a very influential individual (he can suspend their license for example). A license suspension means end of the business so Landlords do not mess with the police licensing officer.

Hope this helps, you have my sympathies-2 hours after the license ends is pisstaking...

Accept you've moved to near a local business whose operating hours you find unacceptable. You can complain to your Licensing Officer at the council, but you prepared to be identified, and it's a battle that is not going to have a positive result for anyone ( I am an ex-publican with quite a bit of experience of these circumstances)

I would try a word with the landlord, if you have kids mention it.

Do you use the pub?

And everything in thepublicans post above!

Would you ask for a railway timetable to be changed if you moved near one and the trains kept you up? Or would you just not move there in the first place?

If it was affecting people there I see no reason why, in your example, a timetable is not challenged and changed.

The thing is there are controls in place. In your example the scheduling of trains and in the OP's the licensing hours/conditions. In your example, high numbers of trains are not likely to be scheduled to be running between 2300 and 0700, may be only slower freight or none at all. In the OPs case there are licensing hours/conditions, which until recently were working were they not?

You could go on to bring up busy roads, but these are self limiting as less traffic travels at night.

By all means try having a word with Landlord, however if you wish to remain anonymous the licensing officer will keep your conversation in confidence. You don't have to be outed.

If the license says what time they have to stop playing music and people have to leave and they are going beyond that, then they are contravening their license. Simple as that.

You need to call the local police licensing officer (He's responsible for everythng in this matter). Explain what is happening. Be nice, but serious.

thepublican is spot on simples

but you prepared to be identified

I don't see any reason for the OP to be identified if the licensing authority is contacted to nip it in the bud with a quiet word. If the OPs is being affected it's likely others are too.

I agree with thepublican completely

How far from the pub are you?

Do your research before you move somewhere near a known source of noise. Do not complain about the noise after you've moved in

Haha, just what is the research? 24 hour/7 day a week noise measurements in the property you're going to buy?

If I was close by I'd take a drive through late on one weekend evening especially if it was near a pub just to get an idea.

Fair enough, but quite a lot of people buying houses elsewhere just aren't close by to do that sort of thing. Plus would you really have the time to check out every property you're interested in, even if you were close?

What's the solution, a noise level rating in the Home Report?

Would you ask for a railway timetable to be changed if you moved near one and the trains kept you up? Or would you just not move there in the first place?

Their hours are midnight every night apart from Saturday which is 1am. Recently they have been very slow to shut up shop and get people out. Last night for example they had loud music playing from 10pm until 1.15am and then slowly kicked people out up to about 3am all shouting, screaming, sounding car horns, screeching tyres - just generally anti social.

I wonder if some folk just want an argument and their medium it to use a crap analogy that somehow neither covers the issue nor misses it entirely.

Its the change they object to not the oub
EVen a landlord thinks its reasonable if not some STW posters

but you prepared to be identified

I don't see any reason for the OP to be identified if the licensing authority is contacted to nip it in the bud with a quiet word

Umm in my experience these things don't remain confidential. Just to be clear, I think the landlord concerned should not be letting this happen.

I always used to run quiet lock-ins ?

I am quite amazed that people are having a go at the OP. It's a country pub not a city nightclub. I would only expect noise past 12.30 on a Friday and sat round by us and during the week the pub is normally dark and quiet by 12.

You could always call crime stoppers and say you think there is illegal cock fighting going on after 1 am. 😀

Lollllololol at the airport/railway comparisons, there really are some OP hating clowns on here!

Unless the OP's been sitting on this grievance for 2 years it sounds like a recent development. So, the comments about doing your research are potentially ill founded. Listen to the publicans advice.

People do like complaining about people who complain don't they!? Especially since they're only asking for advice! And airport/railway analogy.... Bonkers.

We've been in a similar situation with new owners in local pub, it's about 30m from ours (although we've now sold/moved), we simply rang them up and said "Hi, it's weeksy and Mrs Weeksy next door, can you please keep the noise down, it's getting ridiculous"

There was no animosity, no issues... it improved dramatically.

Why is stretching their legal operating hours in anyway acceptable?

My boss lives on a green, new owners take over pub and low and behold all their events seem to stretch well passed closing time. The houses will have been there just as long as the pub and 3am sounds like a lockin....

Wonder if the council would be interested in breach of licence.

[quote=climbingkev said]Unless the OP's been sitting on this grievance for 2 years it sounds like a recent development.

Indeed, he even mentioned that in his OP. ThePublican has it IMO.

3am sounds like a lockin

And that's a problem because ? I mean FFS, come on ... it's a country pub in the middle of a drinking recession with Stoptober, the smoking ban and dry January all meaning people are staying away from pubs.... WTF do you expect them to do to make a living ? Just give up and watch all their hard work collapse and their lifes savings disappear ?

The reason there's a legal stop tap time is to avoid the exact situation the op is suffering with now.
Everone loves a good drink but when the pub starts to take the proverbial then it becomes a problem for the community.
Thats when the police get called. Do it repeatedly and its bye bye pub. Which would be a shame.

And that's a problem because ? I mean FFS, come on ... it's a country pub in the middle of a drinking recession with Stoptober, the smoking ban and dry January all meaning people are staying away from pubs.... WTF do you expect them to do to make a living ? Just give up and watch all their hard work collapse and their lifes savings disappear ?

[s]So effectively you've got a small nightclub in the middle of houses. Not everyone lives in large at the weekends and if you've got small children.

We live near to Trafford cricket club. Now we knew this when we moved in. We knew there would be cricket matches but also the odd event (fine). Recently though they broke the noise order and cranked up the volume along with over running their time and keeping floodlights on sometimes overnight (maybe to punish those who live closest?). The council acted. [/s]

If the pub was to shut- whose fault is that?

How can it be a small nightclub in a village, i'll be it's 10-15 people tops leaving per night after 11pm. It's a few people and a bit too much noise...

If the pub shuts, it's generally societies fault as a whole, we're trying to get fitter, live longer and are being told everything is bad.

Just look on here how many people now barely drink or even abstain completely. Part of it is financial, part of it is health... It's just the way of the world.

Disproportionate noise - silence+rowdy people spilling out = the effects of a small club.

Drive past most shut pubs and note where they are.

Plus smoking. The smoking ban is whats killing some pubs. i.e. the ones that weren't interesting enough to be visited by people who didn't smoke or who could nip outside when needed.

In general have a look at any small town etc- there are soo many pubs and drinking places. You could say there are too many even. Pubs are conspicuous when they do shut down as they tend to be large and unsightly/stick out.

Drive past most shut pubs and note where they are.

Elaborate

This weekend I drove past:

On the tops above Calderdale - A middle of nowhere one (well there was a cemetery nearby)
Bottom of Halifax A&E- Piss poor parking (none) facing straight onto a main road with nowhere else nearby.

On the ones not really near anywhere- for people to get into their cars and drive to them or plan a taxi/night they need to have a decent landlord/booze/atmosphere etc to keep clientele.

hora - Member

This weekend I drove past:

On the tops above Calderdale - A middle of nowhere one (well there was a cemetery nearby)
Bottom of Halifax A&E- Piss poor parking (none) facing straight onto a main road with nowhere else nearby.

On the ones not really near anywhere- for people to get into their cars and drive to them or plan a taxi/night they need to have a decent landlord/booze/atmosphere etc to keep clientele.

Have to sound harsh here, but I don't really know where you're going with this and in relation to either noise pollution as per the OP or the topic in general.

Sorry.

Your comment:

If a pub shuts its generally societies fault.

Often, you'll find its a change of owner/brewery/ new landlords a tosser/place has a bad rep for trouble/no atmosphere etc

Sounds like the OP was happy with the licensing hours, if they are kept to then no problem. But in his case they aren't being adhered to so it's quite a genuine complaint.

And as far as the "it's a recession/dry Jan/smoking ban so lay off them if they break the law they are just trying to survive" argument - are you serious? I'm a bit skint, I'll pinch your bike and sell it, use the cash for bills, ok? You shouldn't complain because I need the cash, just trying to keep my head above water, ok?? 🙄

And as far as the "it's a recession/dry Jan/smoking ban so lay off them if they break the law they are just trying to survive" argument - are you serious? I'm a bit skint, I'll pinch your bike and sell it, use the cash for bills, ok? You shouldn't complain because I need the cash, just trying to keep my head above water, ok??

Never stayed behind late in the pub then for "one last round" right before closing ? or a sneaky extra pint at the end with the landlord ?

No.

But then again I don't have to drink to have a good time so never felt the need to hang around in a pub destroying my brain cells. 😉

Lockin? The staff tend to want to go home as a rule so no.

And you two are the reason local pubs are closing and have to try everything to stay open 😉

"Never stayed behind late in the pub then for "one last round" right before closing ? or a sneaky extra pint at the end with the landlord ? "

yes, but there are lock in rules, and one of them is not drawing attention to the fact there has been a lock in.

Thats a good point. People do know it exists but its kept quiet.

Another licensee here.

Are you sure the landlord is actually the owner? Could be a short term lease and they don't really care.

You are not being unreasonable to expect the pub to keep to the conditions and don't listen to anyone telling you otherwise. Nothing against lock-ins as such, (don't do them myself, but don't run a country pub) but the 1st rule of lock-in is "keep quiet" and don't upset the residents.

Pubs are closing for a whole host of reasons not least because of cheaper supermarket booze and the breweries' seeking ever higher RoI's.

Smoking ban? FFS Hora, you a disgruntled smoker or what? Everyone seems to have got over that little thing and moved on.

Thanks all for the thoughts and insight.

Just to clarify. I don't have a problem with the pub or there being a pub, I bought the house with that knowledge obviously. I had a couple of evenings after viewing the house to spend some time in the area and also had a night at the pub to say hello and tell them I would soon be a new resident opposite. I was also pleased to see that had about 4 notices scattered around asking customers to be quiet and respectful of the pubs neighbours. It seemed like they had gone to some effort to keep it a peaceful village local.

The pub was always a quiet, Sunday lunch, few beers for local farmers sort of place - usually a tractor or two parked up out the front at 7pm on a weekday night etc. Never really had any problems but it seems that as the pub has become more popular the landlord has seized on that and relaxed his rules and become less concerned about noise. So over a few months it's gradually become noisier much latter. Generally we have at least two nights in the week where it's very noisy until 1 to 1.30am (closing is at 12) and most saturdays excessive noise spills into the early hours.

I suppose I'm also anxious now as we have a baby due in 6 weeks and I'm wondering how things will pan out with the pub come summer time.

I don't smoke. Come summer we'll suffer the addicts in the beer garden.

OP- you really should just have a friendly phone conversation with the police licensing officer. They are civvies effectively, and very reasonable types in my experience. You shouldn't have to put up with excessive noise way after permitted hours, particularly in rural area, and i don't think you are being unreasonable to expect this in any way.

As mentioned, the 'owner' and 'landlord/manager' can be two very different types. The building can be owned by a major UK property company but the manager could be temporary hopeless idiot.

Contrary to Weeksy's beliefs pubs are not closing because of people like you objecting to noisy lock ins, they are closing because of lethal combination of tax increases, supermarket competition, declining margins, soaring utilities costs, healthier lifestyles, and vulturous Pubco landlords.

You can always support the pub in future by taking your family for regular Sunday lunch there if you feel gulity...

Contrary to Weeksy's beliefs pubs are not closing because of people like you objecting to noisy lock ins,

Lol I didn't say that at all. Wtf.

I love a lock in in our local which is a music venue also. We used to get till at least 2.30 but due to recent noise complaints they kick us out about 1 -1.30 which is fair enough. I totally understand about residents who are disturbed by rowdy drunks and try not to spill into the street hollering and shouting, but the youngsters make quite a racket. It's a knife edge to be fair as we love our venue but they are very much under the cosh about the noise so I'm ok with getting on my way when the staff feel enough is enough for the sake of the continuation of our pub. The irony is that the main complaint is from the S&M parlour just over the road!!

FFS don't move next to a pub if you want a peaceful life..

Anyone arguing to the contrary is ****ing retarded and should take the matter up with some drunk and youthful over exuberant locals at closing time.. you know, just cos you have deffo missed out on a vast tract of the 'socialisation section of growing up and becoming a useful member of society' and need to be brought up to speed pronto and with gusto and vigour

meapy little shrews with their peaceful little cotton wool lives would do well to remember that they are only a tiny sector of the community

yunki - Member
FFS don't move next to a pub if you want a peaceful life..

How long after licensing closing hours is it acceptable for a pub to continue making noise? How many nights a week?

FFS don't move next to a pub if you want a peaceful life..

I moved near to a major cricket ground. What is suddenly that venue starts ramping up events into the late evening past its agreed licence and a volume that isn't agreed?

I moved near to a major cricket ground. What is suddenly that venue starts ramping up events into the late evening past its agreed licence and a volume that isn't agreed?

Sadly, poor planning.

Like these people who move by race circuits and complain about the noise, or they who move near heathrow and they build another runway, yes it's unfortunate but don't move anywhere there's likely to be a longer/later term issue and you won't have the problem.

I'm happy living next to it. Its when the grounds breaks what has been agreed. Its a cricket ground that also holds events. All the houses around it have been there as long if not longer.

you move there you tend to know what you are letting yourself in for- hence why I wouldn't have moved next to a race track, collection of pubs or football grounds.

* retarded

Check your spelling and grammar, otherwise you're in danger of falling into that trap yourself.

meapy [s]little shrews[/s] [b]drunks[/b] with their [s]peaceful little[/s] cotton wool [s]lives[/s][b]hearing[/b] would do well to remember that they are only a tiny sector of the community [b]and should shut the f up at 3am[/b]

If they piss you off just leave every farm/countryside gate open the next day..

like alot of ****ing walkers and cyclists already do.

What thepublican said except......

next time there's a loud lock in, get yourself down there buying a few rounds and being seen as one of the good guys. Then phone it in. You'll be above supsicion.

Long game innit.....

You do realise that if the pub closes it could knock a serious chunk of the value of your nice rural village location.

OP You selfish capitalist pig, knock you house down so the pub can use the rubble as a beergarden and open air urinal. What were you thinking moving into a house. Did you not know other people can come into your kitchen and help themselves to the fridge and bum your cat. NO-ONE except YOU has any responsibility to behave in a way that suits anyone but THEMSELVES, least of all at 3 in the morning. You pillock. Get a grip.

Oh yeah and did you know 50,000 pubs close in this country every second EVERY SECOND, you just think about that.

You do realise that if the pub closes it could knock a serious chunk of the value of your nice rural village location.

The Landlord doesn't care for his relations with the village. Only for short term profit.