Illegal Drinking Den / Pub in a Council owned House!?

Question

I over heard a couple of guys talking in my Taxi tonight!

They are running a pub from thier council house!

Apparently they live in a small cul de sac, and all the neighbours are happy with the set up!

The even use it as their "local"

£1 per pint of real ale or lager.

£1 for a double shot!

Mad or what??

What penalty or law are these guys breaking?

ps...I dont know who they were, or where the place is.

The guys were on a bender elsewhere in the city (shame, it could be the only smoking pub in the UK soon !!)

Answer 1

As long as they do NOT charge for the drinks, then they are NOT breaking the law!

They form a club and give "donations" to the club.

There are ways around everything, if you look.

Answer 2

got places like this where i live, police & council turn a blind eye. unless major trouble.....

most round here sell you a bowl of rice or nuts for £10 per table (its a small bowl, & it is london) lol, they then come round & give you a complementy drink, only rule you must always have a full bowl of nuts & max 4 per table.

Answer 3

They are breaking the law, especially if they sell the drinks, the only way around it would be to give the drinks away for free, and obtain an events licence. otherwise you need a licence for any property that serves alcohol or you could face jail, getting the licence involves taking an exam and it costs anything from £1000 to become a licence holder!

Answer 4

As all homebrew fans know, selling alcohol for profit without paying excise is a criminal offence.

The Council can also evict them, see the link below for another case of this happening.

Answer 5

THE COUNCIL WOULD CLOSE IT FOR TRADING FROM A COUNCIL OWNED HOUSE WITHOUT A LICENCE

Answer 6

On the facts you have outlined: The bottom lines is that under the Licensing Act 2003 this will count as an 'unauthorised licensable activity' and the max penalty is £20,000 and or 6 months imprisonment. Trust me on this one, I teach licensing law