The landlord of a town pub says his business will be at risk if he loses his entertainment licence.

Simon Pettit, of The White Horse pub in Charlotte Street, received a letter informing him Swale council’s licensing sub-committee has been asked to review the permit following several complaints about noise.

It could also mean additional conditions being imposed to minimise nuisance.

The first complaint was lodged on November 5 last year. The most recent was when a Help for Heroes fundraiser was held at the waterhole on July 13.

Officers attended and found the music and DJ’s voice to be a “statutory nuisance” and in breach of an abatement notice served on June 5.

It doesn’t stop the venue from hosting events but the level and volume of noise must not be intrusive to neighbouring premises.

Mr Pettit, who runs the pub with his wife Debbie, said: “We sent letters to neighbours explaining we were holding the event and when it would finish.We even included the pub’s phone number so people could ring if there was a problem but nobody rang.

“The licence at the moment is every day of the week until 11.30pm but we usually finish at 11pm.
“We’ve been working with the council and tried to do everything they’ve asked us to do and we want to work with the neighbours.

“We’ve got a similar event coming up in August to raise money for pancreatic cancer. We’ve notified the council but if people are going to complain to the council it puts us in a precarious position.

"It’s like putting an axe over your head. If they take the licence away we will be in difficulty. People don’t want to just have a drink, we need the entertainment side of things.”

The 46-year-old believes the problems could be caused by the plastic roof on the extension at the back of the building where the entertainment is often held.

They are waiting for a quote about how much it would cost to sound proof that part.

A Swale council spokesman said investigations were going on, adding: “As with all investigations we will endeavour to resolve the matter amicably, court action is taken as a last resort.”