A pub landlord could be stripped of his licence after a fight broke out in the wake of England’s Euro 2024 final defeat which left one punter with potentially life-changing injuries.

The incident happened in the pub garden of the Sans Pareil pub on Frindsbury Hill, Strood, but police say it wasn’t properly reported to them until the next day.

There was also no CCTV evidence recoverable of the incident which the landlord said was due to a power cut.

Since the incident, the force alleges the boozer, which is run by Ben Chell, has failed to follow through on agreements to make changes to prevent crime and disorder and ensure public safety, including checking security cameras are working.

A report from PC Mark Squires, prepared on behalf of Kent Police, outlines how they believe the pub landlord should be removed as the designated premises supervisor (DPS).

In their view, the boss has been uncooperative with police — an accusation Mr Chell, who says they have “done everything” they have been asked to do, robustly denies.

It follows reports of a “serious assault” on the pub’s grounds on the night of the Euro 2024 Final between England and Spain on July 15.

That evening the government had relaxed rules to allow pubs to stay open longer than usual, but in the early hours two men got into an argument in the pub garden and one man was allegedly punched to the floor and suffered significant injuries.

He was later reported to have no feeling down the right side of his body.

Police say a man from Gillingham was arrested in connection with the incident and he remains on bail until October 5 while inquiries continue.

Officers revisited the venue near Rochester to discuss the landlord’s response after they allege the pub didn’t report the incident until midday the next day — 12 hours after it occurred — and after the police had already been contacted by the emergency department where the man was treated.

But Mr Chell said he had seen police cars in the car park and officers at the scene so presumed they had already been called.

However, he accepted in future it was his responsibility to contact police immediately himself should another such incident occur.

During the visit Mr Chell said he was happy to help the police in any way he could but that the pub’s CCTV had not been working at the time of the incident due to a power cut in the area.

The landlord added he thought at the time it was working but explained power cuts were regular due to the roadworks immediately outside the premises, and the system had not been reset to begin recording again.

Mr Chell agreed with police the system should be checked regularly to ensure it was always in working order.

Following the visit, police wrote to Mr Chell outlining minor changes to the pub’s licence to address the issues raised.

This included written rules about checking the CCTV system, how to report a technical problem, and an agreement to report instances of crime and disorder.

The landlord replied saying he was happy to comply and he had worked hard to deal with issues at the Sans Pareil, stamping down on disorder and drugs — an issue which officers raised on the visit.

However, he also added he felt police were “lecturing” him for issues which were often outside of his control

In an email published as part of the calls for a licence review, Mr Chell said he was “not being cocky” but was “sick to death of the buck stopping at the likes of me”.

He also questioned whether there was enough police resources available to tackle problems such as drugs and violence “being pushed around our towns and cities”.

“This is not just me who thinks this, we all do,” he added.

The same report details how correspondence to the police received from Mr Chell states if the minor changes were a legal requirement he would make them, but if not he wouldn’t.

Although police said it was not a legal requirement, after further discussion and agreement on the serious nature of the incident, Mr Chell agreed on July 31 to make the minor amendments to the pub’s licence via Medway Council.

According to the report, officers followed up on August 9 but Mr Chell was away until August 20, so they sent another email on August 21 asking about the minor amendments.

Mr Chell said he had now sent off the application and the police had been aware he was away.

He attached a scan of a written form for the minor amendments, however, Medway Council does not accept handwritten forms and licence changes are done online.

We have done everything they have asked us to do. I run this place very well

As of September 10, Medway Council’s licensing department has not received the application, according to the report, and so Kent Police have now made a request for Mr Chell to be removed as the pub’s designated premises supervisor due to a lack of cooperation.

But Mr Chell denies being uncooperative and points to steps he has taken including updating his CCTV system at a cost of £400.

He told KentOnline: “We were always cooperating but he wanted it done there and then. Demands, demands, demands.

“It was just an unfortunate incident, but they passed the buck to me. They are trying to penalise me for something out of my control.

“I had new cameras sorted before I left, costing £400. I fully cooperated. We have done everything they have asked us to do. I run this place very well.

He added: “I don’t know what they’re trying to achieve out of this. As soon as I got back [applying for the licence change] was done. I don’t see where they are coming from, I really don’t.”

A request for the licence review by Kent Police is currently being considered by Medway Council.

It may go to a licensing hearing at a later date where councillors will consider evidence from both the force and the Sans Pareil.