'This is a vendetta against me': Landlady of troubled West Midlands pub speaks out as brewery gives her notice

Della Pilbeam took over the Drunken Duck in Walsall Wood two years ago and now says her family have nowhere to go after she was given notice by owners Ei Group Ltd, part of the Stonegate group.

The company told Walsall Council it had already been awaiting a possession hearing when on May 10 West Midlands Police was called to the watering hole in High Street to deal with fighting, which resulted in a man being taken to hospital with a suspected broken jaw.

The firm is terminating its contract with the mother-of-five who insisted this was an unfair move after she shelled out £20,000 to revamp the premises, resulting in an upturn in its fortunes.  

Miss Pilbeam, aged 39, said: "There was a fight in the pub, but there's two sides to it. 

"I want to give my side of the story. I feel like this has been a vendetta against me as other local pubs and clubs have had more trouble than what happened here, yet the attention has concentrated on here.

"I have always worked to the licensing policies since I came. I was a staff member before I took over the pub from the previous licensee in October 2023. Trade has picked up since I've come in. I've spent about £20,000 doing it up and sprucing up the garden.

"On the night of the incident, all I did was try to protect my customers from getting attacked by someone. I feel like I'm being punished. It's very difficult to find properties with enough space for us, plus my children are settled in the local school. We don't want to leave the area.

"Restrictions were put on the premises after the incident and I have stuck to those. I've done everything they've asked me to do. I've even spent £950 on CCTV and I won't be able to get that money back." 

Walsall Council's licensing and safety committee has carried out a premises licence review resulting in the conditions being amended for the Drunken Duck

A council report said the disorder involved a ‘number of staff and customers’, that one male sustained ‘significant injuries’ and that children were present and witnessed violence, which breached the terms of the licensing condition of ‘no children on premises after 8pm’.  

Miss Pilbeam, who became the designated premises licence holder in November 2023, said her personal licence remains in place and that any children present at the time of the fighting were her own as the pub was her family's home as well as her livelihood. She explained that her son went to the shop and when he returned to the public house the incident was taking place. 

The current operating conditions include ceasing all licensable activities by 11pm, closing at 11.30pm Monday to Sunday, ensuring registered SIA security staff on Friday and Saturday evenings from 6pm until all customers have left the car park, and ensuring CCTV footage is recorded and kept for 28 days.  

Earlier this year the Drunken Duck came top of a national poll to find the best pub names.

The poll to find the best pub names was carried out by insurers Simply Business. The Drunken Duck is thought to be among four pubs with the same name, with others in Durham, Cumbria's Ambleside and Gloucester.

Stonegate said the matter was subject to a police investigation and it was unable to comment further.