A TROUBLED Leytonstone pub has been ordered to close down for a month following concerns about alcohol-fuelled violence at the venue.

The Sheepwalk, in the High Road, was told by the council suspend trading and remove its licence holder on Thursday (April 14) following a string of recent attacks.

The verdict came following a licence review requested by Waltham Forest Police and supported by Cllr Jenny Gray.

According to council documents, police said the pub was not being properly managed and there had been various “serious incidents” related to excessive drinking on the premises.

A licence review in 2009 was called following an undercover police operation which found that drug dealing had been taking place on the premises and that children had been served alcohol.

However, the pub was granted a reprieve in November 2009 after officers noted an improvement following the introduction of new security measures spearheaded by owner Helena Gannon.

Recent crimes at the pub include an attack on a 29-year-old man who suffered a serious eye injury after being punched on a Saturday night in January.

The pub's licence has now been changed so that it must stop serving alcohol at 1am on Friday and Saturday.

It had previously been allowed to open until 2am. Details of the licence review and the agenda of the meeting were only made public on the council's website a week after it happened.

Cllr Jenny Gray refused to speak to the Guardian.

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