THE Hop Poles, one of Alton’s oldest pubs, was unexpectedly closed down by the police on Saturday night for flouting its licensing conditions.

Landlady Amanda Mackrell was on duty when, her husband Gavin alleges, the officers walked into the pub at around 10.30pm and asked why there were only two doormen on duty when the terms of the pub’s licence state there has to be three during opening hours.

“My wife is actually a registered doorman but wasn’t wearing her bib, which shows she also has the authority to act as a doorman. They said she had broken the terms of the licence and to close everything down immediately,” said Mr Mackrell.

A police spokesman has since confirmed that a closure notice was served by a licensing officer from Hampshire Constabulary at The Hop Poles pub on January 16.

He said: “This notice was served during a routine visit following an earlier licensing hearing. When asked, the licensee could not produce records in relation to door staff or written policies relating to the running of the premises. There were insufficient numbers of door staff as required by the premises licence, and staff were unable to show that the CCTV was working.

“This order means that although the premises is able to remain open, alcohol cannot be served at the current time.”

He added: “The premises licence holder has seven days in which to rectify the issues identified before a further inspection is carried out. Further failure to adhere to the licence could result in a prosecution for breaching licensing law.”

The Mackrells have run the Mount Pleasant Road pub for six years and during that time have, they say, invested more than £100,000 in refurbishing the Grade II Listed building.

The Hop Poles originally had a late-night licence which enabled it to remain open until 1.30am, but located in a primarily residential area it has developed a history of disputes with the neighbours over nuisance, noise, crime and disorder. As a result, Hampshire Constabulary last July applied to review the premises’ licence and the pub’s opening hours were cut by 90 minutes each night in a bid to try to mitigate its reputation as “the end destination” for late-night drinkers.

A statement at the time pointed out that over the years attempts had been made by both East Hampshire District Council, as the licensing authority, and the police to encourage The Hop Poles to meet the objectives of the Licensing Act 2003, with conditions imposed around the use of the pub’s outdoor space and provision of Security Industry Authority-registered door staff.

The couple have confirmed that The Hop Poles is currently on the market.