Smoke rebel host had no licence

An Admiral Taverns pub where the host allowed smoking has been closed - because it had no registered licensee.

The pubco has publicly condemned Stuart Smith, who allowed customers at the Golden Fleece in Greetland, Halifax, to smoke after he took over the pub two months ago.

A Calderdale Council spokesman said the pub's designated premises supervisor, Stuart Smith's son Luke, left the pub last week and Stuart was never registered as the DPS.

The pub has now shut and the locks have been changed.

Closed pubs​

Calderdale licensing officer David Drucquer said: "Stuart Smith is not and never has been the licensee and we have not had an application from him to become the licensee. ​

"There is no person there with a licence allowing them to sell alcohol and therefore the premises cannot trade."

In a further twist, Stuart moved to Admiral's College Arms in Huddersfield - where Luke had previously held a lease with the pubco - and threatened to allow smoking there as well.

But the College Arms was not licensed either and Admiral closed it.

An Admiral spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that Stuart Smith is not, and never has been, the licensee of the Golden Fleece or College Arms pub. We can also confirm that Luke Smith no longer has any licensing agreement in place with Admiral Taverns.​

"However, as Stuart Smith has unfortunately linked himself to both pubs, and has publicly aired views that are contrary to our policy regarding the smoking ban, we feel obliged to comment on his actions.

"As a responsible operator of quality pubs, we fully support the smoking ban and provide our landlords with all possible support and advice to allow them to comply with the law and offer a suitable environment for non-smoking and smoking customers.

"As for Stuart Smith, he has been removed from the College Arms and we can confirm that the Golden Fleece and College Arms have now been closed to avoid further problems.

"We will be looking for a new landlord to run the College Arms."

The MA was unable to contact Stuart or Luke Smith for comment.