A licensee has lost a bid to keep open a Rhyl pub described by a senior officer as the “worst-run” bar that he’d seen in nearly a quarter of a century of policing.

Rejecting an appeal against the revocation of the licence for The Barrell, magistrates’ chairwoman Siobhan Atkinson at Llandudno court told 71-year-old Ian McAllister, of Park Avenue, Kinmel Bay: "We can’t be confident there has been a cultural change.”

She said the pub should have been working with police at an earlier stage when given the chance to address violence and public disorder. Mr McAllister must pay £950 costs to Denbighshire council.

Mr McAllister said in evidence he had taken over the running of the pub from his son Mark in September and agreed it had a “bad reputation.” He maintained his son had “let me down.”

Barrister Douglas Lloyd, for the licensing authority, said a former member of staff had disclosed at a Pubwatch meeting that she saw someone openly sniffing drugs on the bar in the late-night premises.

Mr Lloyd also said days after Ian McAllister took charge, a woman had been glassed in the face and needed 20 stitches. But emergency services weren’t called for an hour and a member of staff claimed it happened outside the pub.

Mr McAllister said he’d fired the staff member. He said :”It had nothing to do with me.”

In November, the court heard, police discovered men involved in a fight had been let back in the bar despite an officer telling door staff not to allow this. Mr McAllister insisted it was a “misunderstanding.”

He declared :”I’m not here to fall out with the police. I am an experienced licensee.” He said he had owned the property for 20 years and also had an hotel.

His counsel Ryan Rothwell told the magistrates :”The whole issue for Mr McAllister is things have improved remarkably since he’s taken over with a blip here and there. Whatever the court does it needs to be fair, just and proportionate. There have been much-reduced incidents since September.”

Mr Rothwell said police suggestions had been put in place. He argued the court could make the bar shut earlier instead of removing the licence and putting staff out of work.

But chief inspector Andrew Williams, responsible for policing in the area, said it was the worst-run establishment he’d come across. The premises supervisor had been present when the glassing occurred yet there was a delay in calling emergency services.

He said since The Barrell’s licence had been revoked “the public mood has been overwhelmingly positive, Rhyl has started to feel better.”

He said :”The vast majority of licensees support and subscribe to what we are trying to do.”

After the court’s decision, chief inspector Williams said :”I welcome the outcome. This has always been about creating a night-time economy in Rhyl which is safe and pleasant for people.”