Pubs shut after antisocial group comes to town

You may have read  weekend reports in the national press regarding incidents in Cromer, North Norfolk. 

An antisocial group had come to the seaside town for the weekend and by Saturday Night all the pubs in the area decided to go into lockdown and close early on the Saturday night. What is unclear, however,  is who made the decision, which clearly affected trade and takings over what is usually a busy weekend  for the licensed businesses.

Norfolk Police indicated that extra officers were on patrol following some “low level disorder” but there were no arrests made. The Police indicated that it was the pubs who “made the decision to close” and that there was “ no official police direction given that businesses should close”.

Supt Malcom Clarke is reported to have said “We acknowledge there have been a number of incidents over the weekend which will understandably cause concern. However, I can assure residents these incidents have been dealt with appropriately and are of a nature routinely dealt with in towns such as Cromer on a busy August weekend”.

However, some publicans in the town did not agree with the Police statements,  indicating they had called the police for assistance and had got advice to close, a decision which had lost them takings.  

Leona Hopwood a Pub owner in the town told the Eastern Daily Press “we must have lost a lot in trade because of the closure, insurance won’t cover it, so we will just have to stand it”.

Finding the balance between policing licensed venues and helping them run as businesses is a difficult one. 

North Norfolk MP Norman Lamb is reported to have said: “Certainly from the people I’ve talked to in the town, what happened yesterday was pretty intolerable and it is really important that the police deal very firmly with the perpetrators of this”.

Should you want advice over any contact  you receive from an authority regarding your licensed premises, remember we have a 24 hour emergency  phone line on 0114 266 3400.