FAMILIES in a street in a Welsh seaside town said they are sick of pubgoers who they claim are urinating on their homes and being responsible for “atrocious” behaviour.
Residents living in King Street, Penarth, opened up about their experience of living next to The Golden Lion at a Vale of Glamorgan Council licensing sub-committee meeting on Friday, 18th October.
The pub was applying to change its premises licence by allowing it to stay open for one more additional hour during the week.
Manager of The Golden Lion, Paul Harper, said his proposal would only be put in place very occasionally for specific events.
However, residents said they were worried it would end up being employed more often and exacerbate some of the issues related to the pub.
Pat Groves, who has been living next door to the pub with his young family for several years, said: “Every conversation can be heard and they are drunk so they are speaking at an increased volume.
“We feel that… if you were to extend the hours it s going to make it even worse.”
Currently The Golden Lion allows the sale of alcohol between 10am and 11pm from Monday to Thursday. On Friday and Saturday it is allowed to sell alcohol from 10am to midnight.
If its proposals are granted the pub would technically be allowed to sell alcohol from 8am to midnight throughout the week.
Mr Groves added: “It shouldn’t really be down to the residents to patrol and make sure that the Lion is behaving in a sociable way.
“It shouldn’t be [down] to us to ask: ‘Can you put the bins out?’ to catch all the cigarette butts.”
Mr Groves said Mr Harper been a good landlord but he has also noticed that when he isn’t there the behaviour at the pub deteriorates.
He said: “Now, on some nights you have got really loud dance music… with that the behaviour is, to be honest, atrocious.
“I wouldn’t feel safe going in there to complain.”
Another resident, Bethan Thomas, said she sometimes walks into the road to avoid groups of smokers that have gathered outside the front of the pub.
She said: “I don’t want my children to walk past cigarette smoke. It is not healthy. I don’t want to walk on the road to avoid people.
“Sometimes I get a comment as a woman. I don’t want to get comments when walking on the street next to my house.
“It is quite intimidating to have to experience that.”
Ms Thomas, who has lived in King Street for 20 years, said the problem of noise there has got worse in recent years and added that it is not always easy for residents to contact the police.
She said: “We know how busy the police are. People don’t like to ring the police for non-urgent issues.
“To contact the pub… it is not an easy thing to do.
“It is quite an intimidating situation to be put in. I don’t think it is fair for residents.”
She also said she has smelled cannabis coming from the direction of the beer garden.
Ms Thomas acknowledged that residents chose to live near the pub but added: “We have got a right to feel safe.”
Another mother, Natasha Jones, said the noise coming from the Golden Lion was also a concern for her.
Ms Jones, who has an 18-month-old daughter, said: “At the moment, when the premises is closed, you can still hear people talking outside.
“Those people are talking essentially right outside our bedroom windows.
“This can go on until the early hours of the morning.
“It does feel sometimes like we are not getting much of a break.”
Ms Jones said she expects some noise from the pub on a Friday and Saturday but added that it can also be an issue on a Sunday.
She said: “I have had people… knocking doors, knocking windows.
“I have had people urinating against the side of the property… they have come out of the pub and have been trying to open beer bottles on my window sill.
“[There have been] people using foul language and swearing when there have been disagreements.
“I find it quite intimidating to go in there myself and say: ‘I have got a problem’ with a pub full of patrons.”
She said cigarettes were also littering the street and being thrown in the drain at one point.
This was an issue raised by other residents too but they added that a bin was later installed to catch cigarette butts.
Kevin Lawrence also acknowledged that he chose to live near the pub and said there was a lot about the establishment that he doesn’t have any objections to.
However Mr Lawrence, who has lived in his property in King Street for 45 years, added: “Some of you won’t remember back then… pubs were very different.
“We didn’t have such things as beer gardens… frosted windows… smoking was allowed inside pubs so people were very confined in that area.
“We now have a much nicer pub atmosphere… it is nice to see people enjoying the pub… but the issues I have are similar and it is to do with the noise and it is to do with the potential increase in noise after hours.”
The landlord of the Golden Lion, Mr Harper, said a number of issues like the build-up of kegs on the street and the premises’ bins have been addressed.
He also said there were ash trays outside and the area outside the pub gets swept by members of staff.
On the extra opening hour proposed for the pub Mr Harper said: “This is a very rare occasion that this will occur.
“I am not asking the residents to police [matters] but if I don’t know that they have got a problem I can’t sort it.
“I don’t believe my pub is intimidating and I want people to contact me.”
On allegations of drug use at the pub Mr Harper said: “I have got a zero tolerance on drugs and a ban is ban for life.”
Vale of Glamorgan Council has not published a decision on the Golden Lion’s licensing application. The council said this will be done before 5pm on 28th October.
By Ted Peskett, LDRS.
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