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THE PUB WAS CLOSED FOLLOWING THE ARREST OF TWO WOMEN 12:41, 06 Jun 2025Updated 10:24, 09 Jun 2025 A 'totally out of control' pub was closed after a brawl saw a man's jaw

broken and arrests over drugs. A licensing review hearing for The Claughton Hotel in Birkenhead heard that the pub was described as 'hostile' and a 'ticking timebomb'

after multiple incidents of fighting, shouting, swearing and evidence of drugs found at the property. Police requested Wirral Council review the licence for the Upton Road business, with a

hearing taking place on June 5. Police said this decision was taken following the arrest of two women on suspicion of possessing Class A controlled drug cocaine at the property on April 10,

at which point the pub was shut down. The licensing hearing heard how the previous person supervising the premises, who was not in attendance, had been removed following the arrests and

Stephanie Watson, who had previously run the pub successfully up until 2023, would be taking over the pub going forward. Ms Watson left the Claughton Hotel to run the Old Post Office Pub in

Liverpool city centre. During the hearing, Merseyside Police detailed a number of incidents that had taken place over the last year and a half. They said there had been 15 incidents there

over the two years of the previous management, compared to seven incidents in the nine years before that. One report to the police in 2024 described a group of people “shouting, swearing,

drinking, and doing balloons” in February just after midnight. Another later that month involved an altercation following a game of pool. Article continues below Following this fight, police

later found one person bleeding from the mouth near to the pub and their jaw had been broken in two places. After another brawl broke out at the pub later that year, police said they had

sent a warning letter to the pub. However police said there were further incidents including one where someone had a glass thrown at them in November 2024. Merseyside Police’s Mark Fallows

said they also received reports of suspected drug dealing above the pub. Then in April 2025, police executed a warrant to search the pub including the living accommodation upstairs. In a

bedroom, police said they had found 50 to 60 wraps of white powder and a tick list but the matter was still under investigation. Following this search, two women were later arrested on

suspicion of possessing a Class A controlled drug. At the time of the arrests, a representative for Craft Union was attending the pub who was unaware of the situation. The pub firm said they

immediately took steps to close the pub, end its agreement with the previous designated premises supervisor, and remove the supervisor from their position. Police said they had met with

Craft Union on several occasions and praised the steps the firm had taken since the arrests. The council’s licensing department, represented by Andrew Bushell, said they had received reports

regarding the sale of illegal drugs. He said some of the people who had contacted the council said issues had got worse in recent months and people who were once regulars were now going

elsewhere. Mr Bushell said one person had told him the situation in the pub was “totally out of control” with a “hostile atmosphere” and “described it as a ticking time bomb.” He said a

member of the public told him it was “only a matter of time before something was seriously injured or worse.” Richard Taylor, the solicitor for Craft Union, said the previous situation was

unacceptable and he agreed with both council licensing and Merseyside Police telling councillors. He said: “We are all singing from the same hymn sheet here, I am grateful for both of them

that nothing has been said to criticise Craft Union here at all.” £10,000 has been spent on CCTV and a number of stringent new conditions have been put forward so the business can reopen. It

was deemed that this alongside the pub’s closure for two months and change of management was enough to allow the pub to reopen. Article continues below The pub will have a soft relaunch

with door staff on Fridays and Saturdays to enforce standards. Craft Union said they had changed regional management and argued removing the pub’s licence or a further suspension would

punish those who didn’t cause the problems. Following the council decision, a Craft Union spokesperson said: "The safety and wellbeing of our guests and the community remain our highest

priority, and we are pleased that The Claughton Hotel will re-open on Monday under the management of a trusted operator who previously ran the pub successfully for over a decade.”