Licensee couple to quit over live music row

An award-winning licensee couple are vowing to hand back the keys to their pub after a council branded their live music "a noise nuisance".

Tanya Jones and Keith Welling of the New Inn, in Shrawley, Worcestershire, are planning to quit after Malvern Hills District Council served an abatement order - effectively banning music in the pub garden.

The couple have been forced to cancel a beer and music festival due to happen this month, due to complaints made by a small number of residents. "It's left a nasty taste," said Jones.

The pair took on the tenancy with Admiral Taverns two years ago and have invested thousands of pounds in the pub - and won a community award.

"We've worked hard to make the pub a success," said Jones. "The garden was a wasteland when we took over and is now one of the best-kept in the area - but after two bad summers, we now won't see the benefit.

"It seems very harsh not to allow us to hold any live music events at all."

The pub won a Heart of the Community award, run by Admiral Taverns, last year for its family-friendly and dog-friendly policies.

It held lunchtime live music on three or four weekend lunchtimes a year, with the only evening music taking place until 10 o'clock on the Saturday evening of the beer and music festival, which a year ago attracted more than 1,500 people.

"We bought tourists into the area, and that benefited all the businesses around here," said Jones.

"We invested in the racking for the beer last year, and this was the year we'd have seen a profit.

"All this hassle just isn't worth it."

A spokesman for the council said an environmental health officer had carried out assessments with an independent inspector, and reached the view "that any outside music event would represent a noise nuisance for neighbours."

Jones and Welling are now waiting to see if a new tenant can be found, but fear the New Inn may have to close if Admiral is unable to re-let the pub.

John Smith, general secretary of the Musicians' Union, said: "It's important that licensing authorities act fairly in instances where there have been complaints and, wherever possible, do not discourage licensed premises from putting on live music performances, especially in these difficult economic times."