The White Horse pub located on Old Road in Harlow was shut down after a major police operation on Thursday, 8 October. The venue was one of 18 locations targeted during a large-scale raid that led to 19 arrests.
Seven individuals have been charged with drugs-related offences connected to the operation. Essex Police acted quickly to address the situation at the pub.
Essex Police’s licensing team promptly applied for a summary review of The White Horse’s premises licence. On Tuesday, 13 October, Harlow Council’s licensing sub-committee convened and decided to suspend the pub’s licence with immediate effect. The designated premises supervisor was also removed from their position immediately.
The licence suspension will remain in place until a full review hearing, scheduled to take place before 9 November. During this hearing, the committee will determine whether to permanently revoke the licence or continue the suspension throughout any appeal process.
Essex Police licensing officer Ronan McManus stated, “The police investigation demonstrates a link between the pub and potential criminal activity and for these reasons, working with our partners, we took immediate action to call for a review of its licence to sell alcohol.”
Councillor Shannon Jezzard, chair of Harlow Council’s licensing committee, commented, “Following last week’s events, the police made an application to us on Monday afternoon for a summary review of the pub’s licence. Due to the seriousness of the investigation, a licensing sub-committee had to meet within 48 hours to consider whether any immediate steps were required. The sub-committee, chaired by Councillor Nick Churchill, agreed to take immediate steps to remove the designated premises supervisor and suspend the premises licence with a full hearing to be held within 28 days.”
Originally published by UKNIP.
