Punch and Oldham clash in wake of five pub closures

A row has erupted between Punch Taverns and Oldham council after it shut five Punch pubs on the first day of the new Licensing Act.

Punch accused the council of being 'overzealous' for shutting the pubs, which had all submitted their licence applications in time for the 6 August deadline for grandfather rights.

But Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council blamed Punch's solicitor firm Ford & Warren for making errors in the application forms and not discussing the problems before the act went live.

Punch said the council ignored advice from Government that licensees who submit applications before 6 August are entitled to trade after 24 November, even if the council has not processed its documents.

A Punch spokesman said: 'It is deeply regrettable and frustrating to see anyone being penalised in this way through no particular fault of their own.'

But Tony Allen, group manager for Trading Standards and licensing at the council, said Ford & Warren had made a number of errors on their application forms.

For example, some forms included the name of a designated premises supervisor who no longer worked there, Allen said.

'All the other pubcos worked with officers to make sure the licences are in place and have been completed. Ford & Warren refused,' added Allen.

The five pubs have since been re-opened after Punch and the council resolved the issues.

Elsewhere, a number of pubs across the country were forced to close because they had not applied for a new licence.

The Dukes Head in Heath and Reach, Bedfordshire, was closed on Friday morning after an inspection. The host told licensing officers he did not think he needed a new licence unless he wanted to extend his opening hours.

Two pubs in North Tyneside were closed during an inspection by police and council licensing officers last Thursday.

The Ballarat in North Shields had not applied for a new licence. The Halfway House was trading outside its permitted hours.

Confused drinkers at two Merseyside pubs - the Lister in Kensington and the Bull in Kirkdale - were turfed onto the street after the pubs were closed down for being unlicensed during police inspections.

British Beer & Pub Association director of communications Mark Hastings said: 'If we look across the 52,000 pubs in England and Wales, there were bound to be a few problems.'