Can anyone explain why a pub would change so dramatically from quiet and sleepy to filled with people who break into violent fights?

[WindsurfingDreams]

We live in a pretty sleepy boring village. It has a three pubs all of which are pretty quiet places -.people would go there for a roast or a few drinks in the evening. All felt like "family" pubs.

The next village is similar. Pretty quiet and sleepy. Pubs that everyone feels comfortable to go in

We are about 20-30 minutes by car from the nearest city. 15 minutes I guess from a small town .

I've lived here 20 years and the pubs have always been quiet and undramatic places.

In the last year a new landlord /company has taken over a pub in each village and since then there has been regularly violence sprawling out of the two pubs he has taken over and into the streets.

I just don't understand why /how a different landlord can create such a difference? A lot of the people seem to come in from the nearby town/city when this would never have happened before - people might have driven here for a walk and a Sunday roast not a wildly drunken night out.

We live far enough from the pubs that it doesn't affect us personally but it's causing some friends a fair amount of distress. And it doesn't feel safe to pop to the village shop on a Friday/Saturday evening.

I just feel a bit baffled /naive I guess!

The local MP lives in one of the villages so hopefully he's all over it !

This. Happened to a pub near us when the dragon landlady left and someone else took over. Endless issues, and it got really out of hand. Everyone local knew there was drug dealing going on and it took a while, but the landlord was eventually evicted and the pub closed.

I wouldnt leave it to hope, I’d petition them. They have a chance here to earn their seat.

I do feel for you. It’s an infestation. Horrible.

Drugs.
The LL is known for allowing dealing/ is a dealer/gets a cut of the money, something like that.
I'm not sure but I think that the police/ MP can intervene by pressuring the council to remove the liquor licence, but if the police don't know about the fights, then that won't happen. Are the fights regularly reported?

Yes , definitely regularly reported. It's only been going on the last 6 months or so though.

OP, I grew up in a pub, then worked in pubs as a student.

Any decent landlord would install cctv in the wash basin areas and car park, ban troublemakers for disturbing the neighbours and promote their pubs as gastro pubs or family pubs or sports pubs.
Staff can spot dealing easily and report regular offenders to the police.

Sounds like yours is choosing to turn a blind eye because the takings are higher. A lot of pubs are struggling and this is one (shortsighted) way to survive.

I meant the "county" part reflects that cocaine & other drugs are not just in cities or large towns now. They are in smaller towns, villages, hamlets. The dealers found new markets in more isolated communities to expand their profits and, as you said, there are fewer police and, at least until the last decade or so, the police & public weren't aware that drugs had got out into the shires. It didn't seem likely that small villages would be targeted by dealers, but now we know better, sadly.

Ah ok that makes sense, thank you!

Same as my local pub that was taken over in January. Dogs allowed in all three rooms so as someone terrified of dogs I can't go anymore. The quiet lounge where the pensioners and quieter people dined has been changed into a gaming room with dart boards, pool tables and gaming machines. Yobs from miles around are coming now and the poor locals have lost their village pub.

OP, ask your parish council to keep a log of all fights or other disruption. Report every disturbance to the police. Check ring door bells for evidence of dealing. Litter will also indicate dealing - baggies or wraps or worse.

When the licence comes up for renewal, ask the parish council to object, and get as many neighbours as possible to object, on the basis of violence, noise & drug dealing.

Is it a tied house (ie owned by a brewery) or a free house (owned by the publican or someone else)?

If it’s a tied house, complain regularly to the brewery who may choose to change the manager..

Pubs themselves are changing, arent they. I’m surprised by pubs local to me that I thought were nice, and thriving, suddenly being festooned with huge bright screens. Sport playing all the time. I couldn’t possibly choose to use those pubs now, I’d hate it!

Also the crowd following the landlord more than likely won’t get served in many other places so that’s why they travel.

Cheaper drinks than the other pubs attract the not-rights.

Self-fulfilling prophecies (e.g a bit of trouble as a one-off, dealt with properly, fine but then sometimes a pub gets a bit of trouble, nothing is done about it, same people return again as they hear it's a good place for a bit of drama, their cronies all follow them, it gets a reputation even though It's only happened once, more of the same flock to it, it becomes its reputation.

Landlords becoming jaded (I have seen this happen at my local in the past). Pub landlording is now a mug's game, so many pubs are closing down as huge overheads. Landlord realises that not taking into account free accomodation, s/he makes so little money that they end up just not giving a toss any more.

Pub licences don't have to be renewed annually anymore. Complain to the MP, the council and the police.

Yep, county lines.