A landlord says the early closure of his “lifeblood” pub garden would “kill” his business – after neighbours complained of being kept up at night by noisy punters.

The premises licence for the Bohemian, in Deal, was brought under review by Dover District Council (DDC) following a request from the environmental protection (EP) team.

Residents had lodged complaints against noise and anti-social behaviour at the venue into the early hours of the morning and it was requested the outside area be shut at 9pm instead of 2am on Fridays and Saturdays.

Three neighbours spoke at a DDC licensing sub-committee last month, revealing how the noise affects them.

Mark Owens said: “We’re hoping the garden will be closed at a reasonable time.

“I expect sound to be a normal part of the business, but to be awake and not be able to sleep and rest until the early hours, I find it emotionally and physically draining.

“Our home doesn’t feel like a place we can relax.

“It’s very upsetting to hear constant noise, there’s no let-up.”

David Cordery, who has lived near the pub for the last two years, added: “This meeting is a total waste of time when the pub should have resolved this months ago.

“It’s proving not just an annoyance but, as confirmed by the experts, a public nuisance.

“We’ve got no confidence in handing this matter to the landlord to be dealt with.

"I think it falls on this committee to make a decisive decision that enforces restrictions on the pub.”

Although landlord Andrew Kenny acknowledged the pub was experiencing a problem with noise, he feared for the establishment's future if it was forced to close its garden earlier with the busy summer months on the horizon.

The pub recently employed a security industry authority (SIA) staff member. This is someone who is licensed to control entry to a premise where alcohol is sold.

Mr Kenny said: “To close the garden at 9pm would kill the pub. We take great pride, and we make huge efforts to keep it up.

“That’s how popular it is. The lifeblood of the pub in the summertime is the garden.

“I know there’s a problem with noise. When it arose, we decided to do it on our own, with our staff patrolling the garden every 15 minutes, but it didn’t work.

“So we’ve employed outside staff, SIA registered people, for the last five weeks.

“We’ve applied for the minor variation to have staff in the garden, and I thought it was working quite successfully until I heard the recordings this morning, but I still feel this could satisfy it.”

At the meeting, the issue of smokers congregating near the back door of the pub was also addressed, with residents stating they had to keep their windows closed to avoid their homes smelling of smoke.

It was noted that the designated smoking area was actually in a separate spot at the bottom of Bohemian’s garden but use of this has not been enforced.

The issue sparked the proposal to move smokers to the front of the building on Beach Street if the garden was to shut.

But DDC’s EP team stated that police had raised concerns about interactions between patrons and other members of the public, preferring that guests stay within the licensed premises.

Looking to find a proportionate response to the concerns raised, several conditions were added to the pub’s license.

This included that an SIA staff member be positioned in the garden to control noise from 10pm until 30 minutes after closing at weekends, being able to remove customers who cause a disturbance.

Smokers will also be moved to the designated area at the bottom of Bohemian’s garden.

It was also stated that a log book should be kept to record any incidents of noise at the premises, and signs should be placed inside to warn against nuisance noise.

After the meeting, Mr Cordery thought more definitive changes were required to prevent the problem.

He said: “I feel like we will be back here again.

“The decision has not made substantial changes and could continue, especially with the summer ahead.

“Today will be a waste of our time and the council’s time if we end up here again.”

Mr Kenny declined to comment further.