By Jenny Barwise

Last updated at 09:56, Thursday, 09 September 2010

One of west Cumbria's busiest pubs is to have its licence reviewed again – just two months after it was last up before councillors.

Cap'n Senny’s

Cap’n Senny’s in Whitehaven was slammed in June after trouble flared in and around the premises – leaving a man seriously injured – during England’s opening World Cup game against the USA.

The pub, whose licensee was said to have ignored police advice, was ordered to limit its numbers to 200, which is more than half its capacity, for the rest of the tournament.

The following month a full review was heard by Copeland’s sub-licensing committee, which decided that the pub would face no further sanctions after David Collinson, a solicitor speaking on behalf of licensee Peter Watson, argued successfully that Senny’s management and staff could not have done more to prevent the disorder.

But just two months later, the pub’s licensee will be back before the committee, this time accused of public nuisance.

Cheryl Twinn, director of the neighbouring Waverley Hotel, has complained that the noise coming from the pub, which is open until 2am some nights, can be heard in the hotel’s bedrooms and is keeping those inside awake.

The review of the Senhouse Street pub’s licence has been called by Copeland’s environmental protection team leader John Cain, who said there had been complaints about the frequency, duration and extent of noise from the pub.

Mr Cain said that the noise nuisance complaints have been received between 2007 and 2010 resulting in seven letters being sent to the premises by Environmental Health.

A noise limiting device was installed last July and some measures to control noise have been put in place by Mr Watson but these have resulted in only temporary relief.

Sergeant Richard Farnworth, of Cumbria police, has written a letter to the council supporting the review. In it he said: “The main police concerns relating to Cap’n Senny’s are about crime and disorder and public safety, but there are also many incidents outside Cap’n Senny’s which clearly have an impact on public nuisance.”

He said that the pub has the largest number of violent crimes in Copeland, which the designated premises supervisor has said is due to the fact that it is the most popular, and therefore busiest venue in the borough.

Sgt Farnworth has submitted 16 examples of crime and disorder that have occurred at the pub this year. He has also given details of 33 public nuisance incidents – ranging from arrests for being drunk and disorderly and people being issued with banning orders.

Sgt Farnworth added: “This amount of unacceptable alcohol-fuelled behaviour in the vicinity of Cap’n Senny’s is obviously a concern to the police and other responsible authorities.”

Copeland’s licensing sub-committee will meet on Monday at 2pm at The Copeland Centre.

No one at Cap’n Senny’s was available for comment.

First published at 09:54, Thursday, 09 September 2010
Published by http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk