Pub in Essex retains licence despite ‘ear-biting’ incident

A pub has retained its licence despite a committee becoming aware of an incident in which a man allegedly had part of his ear bitten off.

The alleged incident Brentwood Council was told that the brawl took place on the evening of 11 May during a fight at Chequers Stadium in Hutton, Essex.

However, as heard at a licensing committee meeting, police investigations were thwarted by the venue's failure to provide CCTV footage of the disturbance on two occasions.

The council said the pub could retain its licence on condition that designated supervisory staff were given access to the CCTV system.

When police visited the pub on Rayleigh Road, they found a man missing part of his ear. Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

At the council hearing, it was reported that the pub had previously received a verbal warning about noise levels in the early hours of the morning.

The pub's lawyer, Andrew Cochrane, said the owners felt “great sadness and regret” at now finding themselves before the hearing.

“They are sorry they are here and they are sorry about the circumstances,” he said.

“They've been running this pub for around 18 years, which is almost a record these days. I think it's a tribute to the work they do in the community.”

One helpful guest, Richard Thompson, said he enjoyed taking his grandchild with special needs to the pub and “felt so safe in the pub, it's unbelievable.”

Licensing officer Dave Leonard said the pub's licence was “out of date and needed to be updated”.

The pub was also told that it would have to provide the authorities with video surveillance equipment in the future.