Pub refused early licence ahead of steel city derby

The Beer Engine's landlord said he wanted to sell breakfast and drinks to fans ahead of the match

A pub has been refused permission to open early ahead of the Sheffield steel city derby over concerns around violent disorder

The Beer Engine, in Cemetery Road, had applied to serve alcohol from 08:00 on 10 November, ahead of of the 12:30 kick off between Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday.

South Yorkshire Police said it had opposed all applications for temporary licences due to the "long history of violence" associated with derby matches, including a Sheffield Wednesday fan being fatally attacked in 2022.

Refusing the application, councillor David Barker said the decision did not reflect badly on the venue but that the authority had a responsibility to help police combat crime, disorder and violence.

Sheffield City Council's licensing sub-committee heard the match had already been rescheduled from the evening of Friday 8 November after "very difficult negotiations" between the police, the clubs and Sky TV due to concerns around alcohol-fuelled violence.

Outlining the force's concerns about granting the licence, Det Sgt John Armitage of the police football intelligence unit said: “There were considerations around a more draconian request but actually it’s just for people to operate within the licences they’ve got so that we can mitigate the amount of alcohol consumption and hopefully associated violence and disorder.”

Bramall Lane will host the derby match on 10 November at 12:30 GMT

Landlord Thomas Harrington said he was disappointed with the decision, adding that he was aware of a nearby pub which has a licence to open from 09:00, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

He had also offered to open later, have door staff and only allow in Blades fans with season tickets or match tickets.

He also suggested that he would only tell established football fan customers.

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