Pub dancefloor to be scrapped

A pub which “became a nightclub” at weekends has agreed to remove its dancefloor after an incident which saw a man punched unconscious and a woman struck by a bottle of Prosecco.

Greene King, which operates the Cricketers in Rainham High Street, brought forward proposed changes to the licence following a series of incidents which culminated in last month’s melee.

These include ditching the makeshift dancefloor, having four door staff when the pub is open post-11pm, and hosting only 10 pre-booked events – such as festive and charity evenings – every year. Alcohol will still be served until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays, with the pub closing at 1.30am – something which the chain said was crucial for the business to be viable in the future.

Medway Council’s licensing hearing panel agreed the new conditions on Tuesday morning, and they should come into effect “by the end of the week”.

Police said there was an “uncomfortable” atmosphere brewing at the pub over the months, with 10 “violent incidents” reported to the force so far this year. On July 21, a group of men assaulted “at least three separate people”, including a woman who suffered a large cut to the crown of her head when she was hit by a tossed glass bottle of Prosecco.

Interim steps, which stopped the pub from trading after 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays, saw alcohol sales between 7pm and 1am fall by 70%. Customers dining at the pub also complained about having to drink wine out of plastic cups.