"Wild West" Coventry pub closes down

[dutchman]

A Coventry pub likened by residents to the “wild west” following a catalogue of complaints about mass brawls, drug dealing and prostitution has finally closed its doors.



The Pilot, on the corner of Catesby Road and Burnaby Road in Radford, lost its licence in December last year following a decision by Coventry City Council’s licensing committee.

But because the licensee at the city pub appealed against the decision, the pub had continued to trade ever since.

The appeal was due to be heard at Coventry Magistrates Court later this month – but with just days to go until the hearing, Enterprise Inns, which owns the pub, decided to close it.

The pub company has taken the licence back and closed the venue pending a thorough review of the operating conditions which will need to be agreed by Coventry City Council’s licensing committee.

The troubled pub had been the subject of a number of police action plans to make improvements in the past.

But ongoing crime and disorder led to a review of the licence on December 8 last year, at which the licence was revoked.

At the time, the Telegraph reported how the police told the city council’s licensing committee they had been called out 16 times to the pub between March and October to deal with violent outbreaks.

The committee members were told how neighbours regularly complained about problems at the venue with one likening it to the “wild west” and others reporting mass brawls, drug dealing and prostitution at the pub.

Officers were also called there three times on September 10 last year, including for one incident where a 15-year old girl was taken to Coventry’s University Hospital after being attacked with baseball bats and a spanner.

And in June, police were called out to reports of a woman being hit with a pint glass and drunken customers smashing windows by throwing bricks.

Licensing officials said they also found traces of cocaine and high levels of heroin at the bar and toilets during one visit.

Geoff Makin, environmental health manager at Coventry City Council, says he is pleased the pub has finally closed.

He said: “It’s taken some time to follow through the legal process but Coventry City Council has been adamant that the pub could not continue to trade in a way which generated crime and disorder and disrupted the lives of local residents.

“We now look forward to constructive conversations with Enterprise Inns about the future of the pub.”

[rebbonk]

...found traces of cocaine and ... heroin at the bar and toilets...

That must be true for most of the pubs in Coventry, it's just that some are more discrete than others.