A Black Country pub has been forced to close for three months after a catalogue of violent crimes were linked to the premises.
Police claimed local gangs used the Earl of Dudley Arms, Wellington Road, Dudley, creating a climate of fear among law-abiding customers.
Wolverhampton Magistrates’ Court heard that cops had been called to the pub more than 60 times in the past two years to deal with a range of crimes, including five serious assaults, a robbery and an attempted murder.
Several bar staff are set to lose their jobs after the three-month closure notice was served on the premises.
Magistrates ordered the pub should be shut with immediate effect following an application by West Midlands Police, which stated that the order was to protect nearby residents and prevent further trouble.
Det Chief Insp Chris Hanson, from West Midlands Police CID, said: “The licence holder of Earl of Dudley has a duty to protect his customers but he has failed to do that.
“He has allowed members of a local gang to frequent his premises and commit serious acts of violence towards innocent customers.
“In the latest incident earlier this month a man was badly beaten inside the premises. Two men have been charged in connection with that attack and await trial.”
DCI Hanson added: “We understand that the closure of this pub will mean people losing their jobs and that the licensee will be significantly financially affected. However, the magistrates were convinced that the immediate closure was the only way to keep people from being harmed.”
Insp Laura Jones, from Dudley Police, said: “This is a great result for both the police and community and demonstrates our commitment to deal with problem venues that have a detrimental impact on law-abiding members of the public.
“We will always tackle local gangs and their disruptive, criminal behaviour wherever they choose to operate. This is our stance for all licenced premises and one we will continue to adopt wherever the lives of local people are negatively affected.”
