Landlord calls time on pub

A landlord has called last orders at his Black Country pub for the final time after a row with council officials over razorwire he put up following a string of break-ins.

Wayne Etheridge closed the doors of the Royal Oak on Saturday, with the loss of 20 jobs, in protest of the authority’s ruling that he must remove the security measure.

But the pub in Amblecote High Street, Stourbridge, bowed out on a high note by hosting a wedding reception for two of its regulars, Dana and AJ Amerson-Jeffries.

The couple, aged 30 and 28, of nearby Trinity Road, were celebrating after tying the knot on June 27 at Dudley Register Office.

Mr Etheridge claims the razor wire is necessary after losing thousands of pounds in burglaries before it was put up. He said: “It will be a great loss not just for the staff but the local community.”

Dudley Council spokesman Phil Parker said: “The government planning inspector made an independent decision based on the statements from both the council and the landlord, and that decision must now be adhered to”