A BURNLEY pub landlord has had his application for a late licence refused after a petition from residents was handed to the council.

Martin Mulrooney had applied to Burnley Borough Council's Licensing Committee for a Public entertainments licence that would see drinkers at the Dugdale Arms in Dugdale Road have their supping time at the weekends extended to 1am

Police objected to the licence on the grounds that it would increase the number of incidents of disturbance and noise. They also said there are already sufficient numbers of late night drinking pubs in Burnley town centre.

Residents in the homes opposite the pub that signed the petition, claimed that the extended licence would increase noise from people leaving the pub, noise form taxis and noise from discos. They are also concerned that taxis would cause a nuisance sounding their horns late at night and general noise and vandalism will be increased.

Martin said: "The average age of my customers is between 45-50 years old.

"Those people don't want to go into one of the Burnley town centre clubs to drink until three in the morning, but it does not mean they do not want an extra pint in the local.

"Young people do come in here, but they do not stay. They come in and drift off down town.

"My clientele are all mainly local and come out for a nice evening. In the two years and three months that I have been in the pub only one person has been arrested and they are related to one of the people who signed the petition against the plan."

At the meeting Martin handed over a petition supporting his application.

Martin says he has taken a number of steps to ensure disruption is kept to a minimum. These include asking the only taxi firm that advertise in his pub not to use their horns and planting conifer trees to shield the pubs from nearby sheltered accommodation.

No-one at the sheltered accommodation had signed the petition against the late licence.

Granville Lord sits on the Licensing Committee said: "Landlords have no control when the doors on their pub have been closed." Mr Mulrooney is considering an appeal.