The Railway Inn in Whittlesey has effectively been banned from selling any alcohol until the pub’s landlady leaves.

Fenland District Council’s licensing committee has taken action after accepting evidence submitted by the police alleging drug taking, drug dealing, underage drinking and fighting at the pub.

The claims were strongly denied by landlady Kerrie Facer, who has run the pub for almost four years. She said police regularly attend the pub and have never found drugs or evidence of underage drinking. The pub provided police with CCTV footage at times of alleged fights to prove they did not occur, she added.

Licensing Committee chairman Michael Humphrey said: “We have accepted the evidence given by PC Richardson which showed clear breaches of the three licensing objectives in respect of prevention of crime and disorder, public safety and public nuisance.

“While information was presented regarding protection of children from harm; we found that the evidence was not sufficient to justify concerns in relation to this objective.

“There has been no evidence to suggest that the current Designated Premises Supervisor has played any active role in the management and conduct of the premises and that the current tenant/manager Kerrie Facer has done little to tackle or address the situation.

“We have determined that the present Designated Premises Supervisor should be removed with immediate effect.

Star Bars and Pubs Limited undertake not to seek the appointment of a replacement Designated Premises Supervisor until the current tenancy with Kerrie Facer has been terminated and she has vacated the premises.”