Nottingham pubs close early to avoid light night levy

One pub's manager said he did not see enough police to justify paying the levy

About 80 bars and pubs in Nottingham have planned to close early to avoid paying a levy towards policing.

The city council approved the move in July after complaints from police about the £1.5m annual cost of dealing with revellers in the city.

The charge varies from £200 to £4,500 a year and applies to licensed premises open between midnight and 06:00.

Ben Reader, a manager at The Company Inn owned by Wetherspoons, said it was an "unnecessary expense".

'No death knell'

He said: "It just wasn't working for us... [we're] not making anymore money on it, basically.

"We just decided to not pay it."

He added he did not see enough of a police presence around the Castle Wharf area, where the pub is situated, to justify paying the levy.

Peter Moyes, from the Nottingham Crime and Drugs Partnership said: "The average business is going to be paying between £2 and £3 a night to stay open.

"[The] contribution is not going to be the death knell of those businesses."

Thousands of people visit Nottingham at the weekend