Enterprise licensee facing £11,000 bill

A distraught licensee said she felt "suicidal" when she lost a court battle with her landlord Enterprise Inns.

Inez Ward attempted to take out an interim injunction against the pubco who she claimed was harassing and bullying her.

The licensee of Newquay pub Mavericks wanted phone calls from the company limited to beer orders, meetings to be held with independent witnesses and all correspondence in writing.

But in May a judge ruled against her claim and said Ward must pay court costs that could add up to £11,000.

She said: "To be honest when I first heard I was feeling suicidal but I am dealing with it now and I have come through the worst of it.

"I do not want to leave the pub so we will keep going. There is a dispute over the costs which we now need to address.

"It is a great shame that I was even pushed into taking this course of action, I understand that they have a business to run but then again so do I and all I ever wanted to do was run my pub with the help of my alleged business partners."

The court case is the latest in a long-running saga between the Wards - who have run the pub for six years - and Enterprise Inns.

In February they were given a boost by a judge after Enterprise applied for the forfeiture of their lease.

Instead the judge gave them seven months - including the busier summer season - to clear £12,700 of rent arrears. If they pay off the debt they will be able to stay at the pub.

A spokeswoman for Enterprise Inns said: "The judge made it quite clear that Mrs Ward's application was totally ill-founded and without any merit whatsoever.

"He was content not only to dismiss Mrs Ward's interim application but her whole claim as it stood no prospect of success."