Please Leave Now!

However, of all recent changes to the law, the biggest social impact on the lifetyle of publicans has been the Eviction Laws.

1./ Pubs may now evict or bar people without providing a reason.
2./The police may write a quite expensive ticket to anyone who refuses to leave a pub when the publican (or staff) ask them to.

Now my stress level is reduced to less than 10% .

Previously, publicans had to be burly enough, or wily enough, to remove even the largest & most belligerent & violent of persons.

This was particularly tricky in the event of more than one person disputing their "right" to continue harassing/assaulting & generally ruining everyone’s night.

(And the underclass DID have that right to remain, all the weight was on publicans, to present a “case” as to why a certain bully or serial offender would be not welcome in the pub)

Roughhousing with the public is now a thing of the past (& not before time either)

Nowdays Mine Host attends "discussion groups" & "meetings" with police, where the officer-in-charge of the local station explains that Mine Host must no longer grapple with the unruly.

Instead the police are to be summoned. The police will remove the "evictee" & if appropriate write a ticket... (YES! a summary fine for refusing to leave a pub!!! *Yippee*)

What a contrast from Mine Host’s first days at the Builders & Motor Trades Arms, when construction workers & mechanics would behave as dogs in a pit.

The official position of the police was "anything that happens there, handle it yourself, we do not want to know about it, it is your pub, if you don't keep it clean, we will crack down on YOU"

The mental strain on publicans & their families was intense. Any time of the day or night, year round, personally having to one-on-one front up to absolutely any brute who suddenly felt in the mood for some summary physical conflict.

The legal penalties for failing to front up, (the police call this “containing the situation”) or for losing the brawl, were such that Peace of Mind was never possible for a publican, unless he was in the premises, & could see for himself that nothing was happening.

Holidays, or even a trip out to the post office, were as brief as possible, & filled with mind numbing worry about what may be happening back at the pub.