The future of a Walsall pub is to be decided after a man was hospitalised in violent disorder
Councillors in Walsall are making a decison on a pub following a violent incident in which a man was taken to hospital
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Walsall Councillors are due to meet this week to make a decision on the future of a Walsall Wood pub following a violent disorder at the premises last month.
On May 10, West Midlands Police were called to the Drunken Duck at 55 High Street to respond to an incident ‘inside and directly outside’ the pub.
The disorder just after midnight involved ‘a number of staff and customers’ and one male was taken to hospital with a suspected broken jaw.
The licensing documents state that children were present and witnessed violence, which breached the licensing condition of ‘no children on premises after 8pm hours’.
Designated premises licence holder Dellamarie Pilbeam, who took on the post in November 2023, said that the children present were hers, and that the pub was her home as well as her livelihood.
Following the incident, West Midlands Police Superintendent Pervez Mohammed called an urgent summary review into the premises licence, requesting an immediate suspension as an interim step.
He said that there ‘are genuine and real concerns that licensing objectives would be undermined’ if the pub were to remain open, specifically ‘the prevention of crime and disorder’.
Three licensing and safety committee members, Councillor Suki Samra, Councillor Aftab Nawaz and Councillor Matt Ward, met on May 19 and chose to modify the premise licence conditions, pending a full hearing, which is now scheduled for Thursday, June 12.
The temporary modification to the license included ceasing all licensable activities by 11pm and closing at 11.30pm Monday to Sunday, having SIA registered security staff on Friday and Saturday evenings from 6pm, and recording CCTV which must be kept for 28 days.
Prior to the violent disorder which triggered the review, the owner of the pub, Ei Group Ltd, said it had terminated its contract with Pilbeam.
The company’s legal representative, Gosschalks LLP, said that Ei Group was awaiting a possession hearing scheduled for June 5, 2025.
Gosschalks said: “Having read the review papers and discussed matters with the police, it is clear that the issues that have given rise to the review relate to poor management of the premises.
“Our representation is that in these circumstances, an appropriate and proportionate response would be removal of the current designated premises supervisor and suspension pending our client recovering possession of the premises.
“That way, the premises would remain closed until Ms Pilbeam leaves the premises. Upon recovering possession, our client will seek transfer of the licence and to reopen the premises once a suitable tenant who is acceptable to the police has been identified.”
On June 12, three licensing and safety committee members will be present at the hearing at Walsall Council to decide on whether to modify the premise licence conditions, exclude the sale of alcohol, remove the premises supervisor from the licence, or suspend the licence entirely.
