A 12-YEAR-OLD boy has written to Poole council to complain about a suburban pub extending its licensing hours.

Joe Miles, from Glenair Avenue, is upset about the Britannia Inn's proposals to open later because his bedroom window faces the back of the pub, and has joined another 25 letter writers to protest.

"I would be very annoyed if the Britannia got this new licence of more music and later opening hours," he said.

"The music already keeps me awake at night. I often hear shouting and fighting in the car park behind our garden, which wakes me up.

"The language is really bad."

His parents, Richard and Sarah, have also written to the council saying they would be unhappy if the pub extends its hours.

"We have had to contact the emergency noise pollution line on numerous occasions, as well as going round to the pub a number of times," they wrote.

The pub currently sells alcohol until 11pm, and is applying under new licensing laws to extend that by an hour on Friday and Saturday nights and until 1am on Bank Holidays, as well as for a public entertainment licence.

Britannia Inn licensee Michael Hicks said the pub won a Poole Safe award this year, accredited by Poole Council's chief executive and Dorset Police's Chief Constable, for his dedication to providing a safe, well-managed premises.

"I think we have been very considerate about what we want to do," he said.

"We're only applying for, to a great degree, what we're entitled to do under the old terms anyway. The extra hour will save us going to the courts for extensions if we want to use them, not 365 days of the year.

"I don't think people realise we have had extensions to one o'clock over the bank holiday and haven't used them. We don't want to use every waking moment to serve beer."

The licensing hearing for the Britannia will be held at Upton House, on Friday at 5pm.

First published: September 5