Folkestone Herald 14-2-1970
Annual Licensing Sessions
Public houses in the High Street and harbour areas
of Folkestone had no direct connection with the disturbances in the town last year. This was made clear at the annual meeting of Folkestone's
licensing justices on Wednesday. But landlords were warned that it might be
dangerous to allow “certain elements” to hold meetings in their pubs.
In his annual report on the administration of the
licensing laws in the town last year, Chief Superintendent W. Pullinger said
“Certain premises in the High Street and harbour areas figured in the public
disorders in May and September, but this was coincidental, and generally was no
reflection on the conduct of the premises by the licensees concerned. In fact the consumption of alcoholic
liquor appears to have played a very small part in these disturbances”.
The Chairman of the Justices, Mr. F.J. Baden Puller, said the
disturbances centred on one public house in particular. Although he did not
name the public house, he was referring to the Earl Grey, in the High Street.
“As a result of this, objections were made to the transfer of that licence”,
he said. We are pleased to learn that there has been no trouble at the public
house since, and that our decision to allow the transfer was justified”. He added the warning ‘‘But there may be
a danger in allowing certain elements to use public houses as meeting places”.
Chief Superintendent Pull-inger’s report revealed
that drunkenness in Folkestone last year had reached its lowest level for five
years.
Sixteen cases were dealt with by the courts - 11
less than 1968, and the lowest figure since 1964. Licensed premises were regularly visited by police during the
year and were generally found to be well conducted, says his report. There were
16 cases of motorists being unfit to drive
through drink. “These prosecutions have not been excessive, but
there have been sufficient to indicate that drinking and driving is still a great problem and safety
hazard”, says the chief superintendent. His report concludes “Firm action by the police in
the early part of the year appears to have paid dividends in reducing the
number of incidents of juveniles drinking, or attempting to obtain alcohol. Although it
has been necessary to speak to a few licensees concerning the need for ceasing
the sale of drinks promptly at the end of permitted hours, there have been no
serious contraventions of the liquor licensing laws in this respect”.
Folkestone Herald 12-2-1972
Local News
Landlords at Folkestone will be calling “Time,
please” half an hour later this summer. For local Licensing Justices have extended drinking hours to 11 p.m. on weekdays during
July, August and the first two weeks of September. Closing time will remain at 10.30 p.m. on Sundays.
Application for the seasonal extension was successfully made by the Licensed Victuallers’ Association at the
Justices’ annual meeting on Wednesday.
Mr. John Medlicott, representing the L.V.A., said
that changing social habits had created a need for the extra half hour, not
only for residents but especially for holidaymakers. He added that the extension would bring
Folkestone into line with Hythe and Romney Marsh, whose summer drinking hours
were extended only last week.
Folkestone Gazette
16-2-1972
Annual Licensing Sessions
The number of motorists prosecuted for drink-and-driving
offences nearly trebled in Folkestone last year. Forty cases ended up in court
in 1971 - compared with only 14 the previous year, according to the annual
police report given to Folkestone licensing justices last Wednesday.
After presenting the report, Chief Superintendent
R. Marsden said “It is difficult to say why this increase has occurred. It might be that the impact of the 1967
“breathalyser” act has worn off on motorists. However, the police have continued their activities
in this respect and, in so doing, have become more adept with the breath test
equipment”.
This is supported by the number of
drink-and-driving offences to come before the courts from Folkestone in the
last few years. In 1966 - before the breathalyser - there were only 10 cases. In 1968 - after the
breathalyser - there were 23. But this figure had dropped to 14 by 1970. Mr. Marsden gave the justices an
assurance that the police had no intention of relaxing their breath test
activities. The 40 cases brought in 1971 arose from some 84 breath tests. The majority of them had occurred
during the holiday season. The average age of the motorists concerned was 32. Only three were under
21.
Cases of drunkenness in Folkestone in 1971
increased by one on the previous year to 20. Over half of the 16 men and four women involved
came from outside Folkestone.
Both Mr. Marsden and the chairman of the justices,
Mr. F.J. Baden Fuller, complimented Folkestone’s licensees. “All premises are now considered to be
generally well conducted and there is no police objection to the renewal of
any licence within the town”, said the Superintendent. “During the year under review two
public houses - the Foresters Arms and the Railway Tavern - closed. New licences were granted in respect of
six restaurants and one licensed club. In addition two new clubs were
registered. In addition to those premises receiving normal police supervision it was
found necessary, for various reasons, to pay rather more attention to a small
number of licensed premises. This resulted in a better standard of supervision by the licensees
themselves”.
Mr. Baden Puller said “Licensees are to be congratulated
on the way they have conducted their houses during the year and thanked for
their continuing co-operation with the police and the justices. We are all
conscious that changes in the licensing laws are likely to be made in the not
too distant future. If those changes result in a lessening of the supervision
and control exercised by the Licensing Justices the licensees will have cause
for considerable self-satisfaction. For such a move could only be contemplated
in a situation in which the licensees have proved over a long period that they are quite capable
of carrying out their work responsibly and with a proper regard, not only for
their customers but for the welfare of the community as a whole”.
Folkestone Herald 17-2-1973
Annual Licensing Sessions
Summer visitors to Folkestone will find the pubs closing at 10.30 p.m. on
weekdays - 30 minutes earlier than at Hythe and Romney Marsh.
Last year’s decision to open until 11 p.m. was a mistake, according to
Folkestone and District Licensed Victuallers’ Association. Association secretary, Mr. Bill
Dennis, told Folkestone licensing Justices on Wednesday the extension costs
licensees money. Applying
for permission to revert to 10.30 closing, Mr. Dennis said “Our preconceived
opinion that the public would like an extra half-hour was wrong. At 10.30, most of the customers
were returning home and most houses were empty between 10.30 and 11 p.m”.
The chairman, Mr.
R.L. Bristow, asked “Does this cover holidaymakers, too?”
Mr. Dennis answered
“Yes - especially in the harbour area. Licensees hired extra staff and had to
order taxis to take them home as there was no public transport at that time of
night. We have decided that the extra half-hour is
unnecessary”.
Superintendent Terry
Snelling said the police did not oppose the application, but he said adjoining
areas, such as Hythe and Romney Marsh, had already agreed to remain open until
11 p.m. “The justices may consider
there is a need for conformity for police and public alike”, he said.
Mr. Dennis said
licensees in Hythe and Romney Marsh were unanimous in voting for 11 p.m., but the
circumstances were different. “The majority of houses
are rural and most of the customers are farm workers who work late during the
summer”.
After a short
discussion, the justices granted the application for Folkestone to revert to
10.30 p.m.
This means that the hours will remain the same throughout the year, with
local public houses also closing at 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 10.30
p.m. on the other five days.
In his annual report, Superintendent Snelling said there were 18 cases of
drunkenness during the year – two fewer than in 1971, but the 43 cases of
unfitness to drive through drink was three more than in 1971. During the year
the Shakespeare Hotel was placed in suspense and the Railway Tavern, which was
in suspense, was not renewed. One licensee was cautioned for permitting persons
under age to consume alcohol and another for allowing drinking after hours. As
a general rule, licensees in the Folkestone area had conducted their premises
in a proper manner.
Mr. Bristow said he sympathised with licensees who had to determine the
age of young customers. He said “People of 13 look like 23, and I advise all licensees to take
care". Renewing
all licences, he congratulated the landlords on the way they had conducted
their businesses during 1972.
Folkestone Herald
11-1-1975
Local News
Drinking time in Folkestone`s pubs may be extended in the
summer. A bid is being made for an 11 p.m. closing time - instead of 10.30 p.m.
– to bring the town`s pubs into line with other parts of Shepway. The district’s Licensing Justices will have to
approve the move at their annual meeting next month. The extra half hour would
only apply from Mondays to Fridays. Closing time on Fridays and Saturdays is
already 11 p.m.
Publicans in Folkestone tried the late summer closing time two years ago
but abandoned the experiment as they did not consider it beneficial.
But the standardisation of Shepway’s licensing hours has now been accepted by
Folkestone and District Licensed Victuallers’ Association. Lunchtime opening hours of 10
a.m. to 2.30 p.m. will not be affected, and the extra half hour will only be
permitted between July and the second week of September.
Folkestone Herald
13-12-1975
Local News
The first cut in the pleasures of 1976 will take place in
local pubs. Instead of drinking in the New Year for a full hour, patrons will have to make do with half
an hour. This was decided by Folkestone Magistrates on Thursday when the
Licensed Victuallers’ Association, on behalf of 104 licensees, asked for an
extension from 10.30 p.m. until 1 a.m. and had it reduced to 12.30 a.m. But
other applications were granted. These were: Christmas Eve 10.30 p.m. until
11.45 p.m. Boxing Day 2.30 p.m. until 3 p.m. and 11 p.m. until midnight.
Folkestone Herald
14-2-1976
Local News
Prosecutions for drunkenness in Shepway have increased by
a staggering 350 percent in the past three years, it was revealed on Wednesday.
And publicans were warned they could lose their licences if they served
customers who had had “one over the eight”.
The figures were revealed by Folkestone`s police chief,
Superintendent Terry Snelling, during his annual report to the local licensing
sessions at Seabrook. He said that in 1975 a total of 69 drunks – 64 males and
five females – had been arrested by local police. The figure was an increase of
38 percent on 1974, and 350 percent on 1972. The number of cases of drunken
driving had increased. A total of 106 people were brought before local Courts
last year. “We are worried that motorists are simply not obeying the road
traffic laws in this respect”, he said.
The warning to licensees came from Mr. Bedo Hobbs, the
presiding judge, who told them “When a person gets to the stage where they’ve had
enough, don’t let them have any more. Over the past year we had a large number
of defendants in court who say they have done this, that, or the other because
of excess drink. We also get solicitors saying where excess drink is obtained.
We have been fairly free and easy in granting licences in the past, but if this continues we
will have to look into the way in which we deal with these things”. Mr. Hobbs
also warned that more official visits to licensed premises could be expected in
the coming year. He said in the visits to houses in 1975 “some were
satisfactory, others, the less said about them the better”. “There will
probably be far more visits than last year”, he warned. “I hope there will be some improvement in those
premises we weren’t happy with last year”.
Landlords were also warned about the dangers of under-age drinking. In his report to the licensing justices
Superintendent Snelling said “I would draw your attention to the necessity of
paying particular attention to the sale of intoxicating liquor to people under the age of 18. This type of offence is gaining
prevalence. Although I
appreciate the difficulties, there appears to be a tendency to ignore this law”.
Support for the superintendent came from Mr. Bedo Hobbs. “I know it can be extremely difficult
to tell a person’s age, but you must make every possible effort”, he said.
Publicans hotly denied that their businesses were responsible for any
increase in the number of drunks.
Mr. Alf Adams at the Earl Grey, in Folkestone’s Old High Street, said
“The drink is coming from off-licences, clubs, restaurants, but not the pubs.
We do not want drunken customers. They simply scare off other people and give
our houses a bad name”. Mr. Alan
White, of the
Prince Albert in Rendezvous Street, agreed: “The thing is these days
that people can buy wine and spirits over the counter in all sorts of shops and
stores. I am quite certain that most of these people don’t come from pubs. I
certainly haven’t noticed any increase in drunkenness in my house or any of
the other places I visit in the area. I wouldn’t serve a drunk and I am quite
certain that 99.9 percent of the
landlords in this area feel exactly the same way”. Mr. White and Mr. Adams
criticised the police for not giving a breakdown of offenders so that it could
be clearly seen where they had been drinking. “It just isn’t fair to local
publicans”, said Mr. Adams. Other landlords in the area agreed with their
comments in general.
Folkestone Herald
12-2-1977
Local News
Publicans were urged this week to stamp out under-aged
drinking in Shepway. They were also asked to clamp down on serving drunks and
motorists in their pubs.
The pleas came from Chief Superintendent Percy Towler at
the annual sessions of the
Folkestone and Hythe district Licensing Magistrates.
“There is still a need tor vigilance in connection with young persons,
especially where dances or social functions are organised”, he said.
“There has been a considerable increase in the number of offences of drunkenness.
Licensees are not to serve
intoxicating liquor to drunks who appear on their premises. The offences of drinking and driving have doubled since 1971. It appears that excessive
drinking and the number of road accidents occur especially in the late evening".
But Chief Superintendent Towler gave the publicans a pat on the back, saying
the conduct at local licensed premises had been very satisfactory over the past
year. “There had been no occasion
for any action to be taken”, he said.
And Mr. Bedo Hobbs, the presiding Licensing Justice, congratulated the
landlord who threw out a group of 12-year-olds from his pub. Mr. Hobbs added that publicans
must endeavour to see under-aged drinking did not take place, although this was
difficult to enforce. He said the previous licensing year got off to a bad start when a
landlord, giving evidence in support of somebody accused of shoplifting,
said the man was so drunk
when he left his pub he would not know what he was doing. “During the year we made a number
of visits to licensed premises and those that weren’t considered satisfactory
have been written to. I hope they will take note of what has been said”.
Folkestone Herald
11-2-1978
Annual
Licensing Sessions
Police were urged this week to make sure there is no under-age drinking
in local discos. The call came from Mr. Bedo Hobbs, chairman at the annual
meeting of the Divisional Licensing Committee. He said the police would then be
able to inform the Magistrates of the position when applications were being
made for licences.
Mr. Hobbs said that licensed premises had been improved and plans were in
hand for more improvements, particularly where there was better supervision. The committee welcomed this trend
and hoped it would continue. It had tried to help all licence holders, especially those in the hotel
and restaurant trade. In return it expected a high standard of service and
integrity, he said.
The committee has renewed all the annual licences for which applications
had been received.
In his report Chief Superintendent Percy Towler said there were 94 cases
of driving with excess alcohol or similar offences, a decrease of 45 from
1976. Drunkenness cases
had dropped by 17 to 70. One male juvenile was dealt with for drunkenness, but
under-age drinking was not a major problem.
South Kent Gazette
11-4-1979
Local News
An application for licensing extensions in local pubs on
Easter Saturday and Sunday was refused by Folkestone Magistrates on Thursday.
Mr. Ronald Webb, who opposed the application on behalf of
the police, said it had already been turned down by the Bench on February 26.
The Licensed Victuallers` Association should have taken the matter to an appeal
court, not to Folkestone Magistrates, he said.
Folkestone Herald
4-8-1979
Local News
Publicans will be
raising their glasses in celebration at the news they have permission to open
later over the August bank holiday.
At Easter, Magistrates turned local pubs down when they asked for
extensions to their licences. Applications were rejected at Easter after
another court ruled that the Saturday of the Bank Holiday was not a special
occasion. Since then the High Court has ruled that local Magistrates should
decide which are special occasions in their area.
Chairman of
Folkestone and District Licenced Victuallers Association, Mr. John Mees, was
delighted with the news this week. “It
affected our trade at Easter by not being able to open later”, he said.
Pubs will be open
until 11.45 p.m. on Friday, August 24, and Saturday, August 25, until 11.30
p.m. on Sunday, August 26, and until 3.30 p.m. at lunch-time on Monday, August
27.
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