Board rejects JDW extension
by Mairi Clark A JD Wetherspoon pub in Scotland has fallen foul of licensing board regulations aimed at cracking down on irresponsible drinks promotions.
The West Kirk in Ayr has been stripped of extensions allowing it to serve beyond regular hours because it has been breaching the local licensing board's code of conduct for the past 16 months with national drinks promotions and "upselling".
The move means that the pub is unable to open Sunday afternoons between 2.30pm and 6.30pm or beyond 11pm at night.
The company also risks revocation of the pub's liquor licence when it comes up for renewal on its three-yearly cycle in 2005.
JD Wetherspoon had already been warned that its "two-for-one" promotions and upselling customers to doubles of spirits breached the code.
Dan Russell, clerk to the South Ayrshire Licensing Board, said: "The code was breached in principle by the drinks promotions that Wetherspoon's was running.
"In particular, the two-for-one promotions around the Big Weekender promotion were flouting the code, which says prices must remain consistent and that happy hours are not run.
"The practice of upselling', where barstaff invite customers to drink a double rather than a single, is also in breach of the code.
Anyone who breaches the code will be treated the same.
We had to take action as they have been in breach of the code since July 2002 and have been warned several times."
Wetherspoon's regional area manager Kenny Valentine said: "Wetherspoon's operations team and our legal advisors, Brunton Miller, are looking at the case."
Pubs forced' to shut out children JDW's The Counting House in Dundee has chosen smokers over children after the city licensing board's decision to enforce a smoking ban as a condition of granting or renewing a licence.
The pub was one of four in the city that chose to no longer use its children's certificate when the licensing board forced a choice between its smokers and children.
JDW's regional area manager Kenny Valentine said: "We're fortunate to have another pub in Dundee a Lloyds No 1 which still has a children's certificate that has yet to have the conditions attached."
Dundee licensing board has angered licensees by giving just one week's notice of its plan to insist on no-smoking conditions on children's certificate renewals.
A further 74 pubs in Dundee with children's certificates are as yet unaffected by the Dundee move because their licences are not currently in need of renewal Bob Bennett, of the No 1 Lounge in Dundee, who has given up his children's licence, said: "It's created a totally unfair balance.
It means that eventually no bar in Dundee will be able to admit families.
Most of have signed up to the smoking charter and I do have a non-smoking area.
"But my regular clientele smokes and everyone knows that a pub's regular clientele is their lifeblood.
