The licence for The Chequers pub in Hornchurch has been suspended for four weeks following an incident of violent disorder and subsequent licensing failures. The Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) has also been removed.
The decision was made by the Havering Licensing Sub-Committee on Thursday, April 9, 2026, after an expedited review of the pub's licence. The review was initiated by the Chief Officer of Police for Havering Borough after violent disorder occurred at the premises in the early hours of March 11, 2026.
During the hearing, evidence was presented by the police, including CCTV footage and till receipts, which suggested alcohol sales after licensed hours. The licensing authority raised concerns about adherence to operating hours and the potential for a culture of illegality. These concerns were echoed by Havering's Child Welfare Department. Lisa Kennedy, the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) for Havering's Children's Services, expressed worries about child safety, particularly in relation to the incident and the potential for after-hours sales occurring while children might be present. She stated, My concerns were that my understanding is that children are permitted in the pub. And although there were no children present at that time, my concerns were that there was no record of the incident. Police were not called. The medical attention was given by staff and no emergency services were called. So my concerns then were, should an incident like that occur whilst children were at the premises, that that potentially would put children at risk. So that was my representation. Also, in regards to the fact that they were selling alcohol, allegedly selling alcohol after hours. My concerns were in regards, additionally, about how they would manage situations where they have to follow those processes when children are there.
A customer of the pub also submitted a representation.
The defence for the licence holder argued that existing licence conditions were outdated and unenforceable. Specific examples cited included conditions 17 and 18, which originated from the old 1964 Licensing Act and related to restrictions on hours for Good Friday and Christmas Day. A condition concerning the use of temporary event notices was described as a condition of significant antiquity.
Additionally, a condition requiring a DJ to ask customers to leave quietly was deemed not enforceable, and another about providing a no smoking area
was drafted before the smoking ban was introduced.
The defence proposed a series of revised and new conditions, suggesting that Danielle Cossard, who has nine years of experience at the premises, would become the new Designated Premises Supervisor. As part of the new conditions, staff training will be implemented, with the defence proposing to conduct this training the following week, ensuring key policy points are integrated. The effectiveness of this training is to be monitored through external checks and reports to the licensing authority, as well as reviews of policies and training content by the authority and police before licensable activity resumes.
Ultimately, the subcommittee decided to suspend the licence for four weeks, remove the DPS, and modify the licence to include a series of new conditions. These conditions include measures related to the WAVE (Women's Aid Violence Education) and Ask for Angela schemes, which are being implemented to address licensing issues and promote safety within the premises. They also encompass enhanced staff training and CCTV coverage of both entrances to the public house. These new conditions replace the interim steps that were imposed following an expedited hearing on March 17, 2026.
Full written reasons for the decision and details of the imposed conditions will be sent to all parties within five working days. The full details of the review can be found in the Clerks Report Review.
