Higham Ferrers pub 'had bar queues 10-deep' on reopening night

The Green Dragon Hotel in Higham Ferrers is facing a review of its licence following a visit by an officer on 4 July

A pub held a gathering for about 200 people with no social distancing, bar queues 10-people deep and staff without PPE on the day it reopened as lockdown was eased, council officers said.

The Green Dragon Hotel in Higham Ferrers, Northamptonshire, will have its licence reviewed.

East Northamptonshire Council licensing officers said they were also threatened by drinkers and saw fighting outside.

The pub's manager told officers she was "unaware of any issues".

Two improvement notices and a community protection notice have been served on the venue, which reopened on 4 July, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

East Northants Council's licensing panel will review the venue's licence on 26 August.

Pubs reopened with strict social distancing rules at the beginning of last month following the easing lockdown rules imposed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

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The report compiled by officers who visited the venue said events became so disruptive nearby churchgoers "could not hear themselves speak".

It said a gang of young people also tried to stop the nearby Co-op from closing at 22:00 BST.

In the report environmental health officer Adam French said: "It was evident there was no social distancing in place and little appeared to have been done to minimise the risk of transmission of Covid-19 at the venue."

Initially when police arrived officers said they were unable to gain access to the pub because of the number of people inside and in the garden, but eventually asked drinkers to leave at 21:30.

The recommendation is to put in conditions on the current licence, such as banning it from having outside music and controlling customer numbers but if deemed serious enough the panel could decide to stop the venue from operating.