A Carmarthen pub has been stopped from playing music until measures have been put in place to prevent neighbours being disturbed.
Carmarthenshire County Council’s licensing committee reviewed the licence of the Three Salmons in Water Street following complaints about noise disturbance.
The committee also removed the pub’s designated premises supervisor because of problems, including under age drinking.
This week’s meeting of the licensing committee was told that the grounds of the review are based on the Prevention of Public Nuisance licensing objective.
Following complaints of overly loud music, Public Health undertook an investigation which involved officer visits and installation of noise monitors. Monitoring found that music could regularly be heard in neighbouring houses.
Noise Abatement Notices were served upon the tenant of the pub and also the manager of the pub. The Public Health Section continued to receive complaints and it was decided that a review of the premises licence was necessary.
The committee was told: “The residents state that for over a year they have been affected by the degree of noise coming from the pub. They state that the music is so loud at times that their house has been buzzing with the sound, particularly the bass beat, even with the windows shut tight. They state that the music would start at 10pm and often continue until 3-4 am.”
Mike Price, on behalf of Dyfed Powys police, said there was a history of problems at premises. The premises had featured as a problem premises on several occasions.
Incidents of crime & disorder, drunkenness and underage drinking spoke for themselves. There was clear evidence of poor management at the premises, he said.
Mathew Phipps, on behalf of the Premises Licence Holder, said he accepted that there had been a clear breakdown of communication. The majority of the points made by Public Health Services were valid and were not disputed.
It would be draconian to effectively sack the designated premises supervisor and some of the incidents referred to by the police were to the credit of the premises which had dealt with difficult people correctly, such as by refusing entry to drunken people, he added.
The committee decided that the provision of regulated entertainment at the premises be excluded from the licence for a period of three months or until the recommendations of the acoustic consultants report were implemented in full; that the end hour for live entertainment at the premises be reduced to 11pm, and that the Designated Premises Supervisor be removed.
Conditions were also imposed to improve management of the premises.
