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meeson · Site Admin Joined: 26 Feb 2007 Posts: 615

Punch Taverns denies underage drinking caused pub to shut

Report links bebo pictures with closure

Punch Taverns has hit back at claims that one of its pubs was forced to shut due to underage drinking on the premises.

According to a newspaper report published today, photographs on the networking site Bebo showed teenagers as young as 16 drinking at the Black Bull Tavern in Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

It also stated the photographs played a key role in helping police investigations after a long history of violent assaults and late night lock-ins at the pub .

But a Punch spokeswoman denied that evidence of underage drinking had been a consideration at the pub’s licensing review.

“We would like to clarify the following points regarding the Black Bull, Kidlington. No photos from Bebo were presented to Punch or Police at the licensing hearing regarding underage drinking and police concerns were around anti-social behaviour and not under-age drinking,” she said.

She added the district council had ordered the pubs closure for 30 days and the supervisor of the premises had been removed on police recommendation. The Black Bull Tavern is due to re open at the end of February under a new tenancy.

“Our priority is to ensure our pubs provide a safe and controlled environment for responsible adults to enjoy good drink, food and entertainment,” she said.

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