A PUB in Thornbury has cut its late-night closing time in a bid to combat anti-social drinking.

New landlords of the White Lion on Thornbury High Street have reduced its opening hours, with the plan of turning it into more of a family friendly environment.

The pub has caused a number of problems for police in recent years, often linked to its later 2am closing time, with officers at times having to respond to complaints over violence and drug abuse, as well as numerous noise complaints from nearby residents.

But Kevin Smyth, 59, and Pat Wright, 53, who took over running the pub last month, after moving to Thornbury from their native Birmingham, have announced plans to restore the good reputation of the establishment, so that it can fit in with the increasingly more mature atmosphere of the town.

“I don’t think it is necessary for Thornbury to have a late bar. Society has changed in such a way that people drink and socialise at home,” said Kevin.

“Late night closures create a lot of noise and hassle, which shows no consideration for the older people in the community, especially with a retirement home next door.

“If you want that kind of nightlife, you can always go into Bristol.”

Along with closing at 11pm on weekdays, and 12am at the weekends, the new licensees are also looking to return a hearty menu of food to the pub and plan to install a children’s climbing frame in the beer garden.

He added: “The plans we have will not upset the apple cart in Thornbury, but we hope it will help to set it straight.

“We are trying to blend in and run a business, but at the same time we hope we can live up to everyone’s expectations.”

Supporting the plans to steer the Lion in a new direction are Thornbury police, who believe that by adopting similar hours as the rest of the establishments in the town, it can have a major effect.

“Late night drinking is a thing of the past. All it seems to do is attract trouble,” said Thornbury police beat manager PC Sean White.

“The White Lion was the pub we were having a number of problems with until recently, with more callouts between 1am and 3am than anywhere else.

“At one point during the Christmas and New Year period, we were even considering imposing an order on the pub to have it temporarily shut down, and had begun gathering evidence.

“But since Pat and Kev have taken over, we have had no problems there of any kind.

“This kind of behaviour is something we really want to encourage in Thornbury, and are glad to see the Lion looking to close at sensible hours along to match the rest of the pubs in the area.

“It should make a massive difference to our work to protect the peace in Thornbury, as well as to the Pub Watch scheme, as we will be occupied with less callouts and there will be less need to ban people from the pubs in Thornbury.”