Pub bosses hoping for extended hours for Pride clashed with police over whether alcohol off-sales impacted on crime today.
The Camelford Arms wants to open later during Pride weekend, as it usually does – but this year, Sussex Police has objected.
The force has taken issue with the pub operator Rowbell Leisure’s bid for off-sales and a “window bar” through the middle door at the venue.
During the licensing panel hearing, pub bosses questioned the police position that off-sales increased crime.
The business has applied to Brighton and Hove City Council to open until 3am on the Friday night, until 4am on the Saturday night and until 1am on the Sunday night – almost the same hours it has had for the past 16 years.
Barrister Edward Elton, representing Sussex Police told the panel the force has additional concerns about the spike in people getting into difficulties on the beach.
He said crime had dropped during Pride weekend last year, from 192 incidents in 2024, to 131 in 2025, when none of the venues operating with extended hours had off-sales, apart from the Camelford Arms.
Police licensing officer Mark Thorogood confirmed the area in question stretched from the marina in the east to Montpelier Road in the west, and north to Preston Circus.
When questioned by panel member Councillor Sam Parrott, Mr Thorogood confirmed there was no breakdown on the types of crime or whether these were linked with alcohol or shoplifting.
Mr Elton said: “The police have noted an increase in crime and misadventure on the beach and sea, and they have concerns this is linked to late-night off-sales, and it is only those off-sales to which we are objecting.
“Not all off-sales. not all late-night drinking. Just late-night off-sales.”
Rowbell Leisure, director Alistair Mackinnon-Musson and head of legal Tony Groom said they have both attended the entire weekend of Pride at the pub until closing for 16 years.
Mr Mackinnon-Musson said the business’s clientele are mostly men in their 40s, 50s and 60s, who are more likely to go home at the end of their Pride celebrations, rather than head off on a ten-minute walk to the beach.
He said the business is not a magnet for people trying to get a final drink to take away.
Mr Mackinnon-Musson said: “What I can’t get my head around is why we are here, what is so different for 2026 that is standing out from 2010 onwards where we have had pretty much the same temporary event notice for all those years.
“Certainly, the one we’ve applied for which we are discussing, is exactly the same as we had in 2025 when there was no problem that relates to the Camelford Arms.”
He said their customers are “much older guys” who congregate on the pavement outside the pub to chat, which is not a licenced area, which is why the Camelford Arms has an off-sales licence.
Mr Groom said he had never seen anyone under 20 in the street, as the pub is a quieter venue attracting the older crowd with an average age in their 50s.
He said: “It is not a magnet to attract people from all over town.
“I think if it’s 3am in the morning on Sunday, if somebody in deepest Hove fancies a drink I’m sure they’re not going to come all the way across to the Camelford Arms to buy a pint with us and then take it back to where they came from.
“They will have sourced their alcohol long before that.”
He confirmed the pub is unlikely to stay open for the entire extension, but asks for the maximum to allow for closing once the last customer has gone home.
The panel – Paul Nann, Sam Parrott and Ollie Sykes – retired to make its decision, which should be made public within a few days of the meeting.
Why are the police instructing a barrister for a temporary event notice decision at a licencing committee?
The Police are out to close all the local pubs in the area that the Police and Ian Baird(in charge of outdoor events at the council) have excluded from Pride. The Police looked foolish with the reasons they wanted to refuse St James Tavern a late licence. With minor things like they were slow at clearing up a couple of years ago.
The Police even blamed the local excluded pubs for crowds on St James Street which forced the road to be closed.
Ian Baird wanted to keep the road open thus creating a soft target for a terrorist attack.Ian Baird has little experience of why St James Street had to be closed anyone local knows there will still be lots of people about.
The Police need to stop going for our scene venues you are taking policing back 30 years when you were basically the local scenes enemy.A guy called Mark puts the police case forward he needs to do his homework as he does not have a clue what he is doing. His only aim to try and close as many of the excluded scene venues down over pride.
Watch out the excluded scene venues, the Police are trying to blame you all for the failings they created and Ian Baird in charge of outdoor events at the council. They had to close St James Street due to the predicted number of people in the area all us locals knew would happen. I think those in charge of organising the Street party last year should accept that they actually created a easy target for terrorists around St James Street by keeping the road open when the rest of the cities busy area’s were protected.
Now the Police are trying to blame local excluded venues for problems they created. St James Tavern has also just had a licencing meeting. The Police want to close as many venues as possible we are back to the old days of policing.
These are hard times for all licensed businesses and Pride weekend is one of few weekends of the year where these local pubs can make up some lost ground.
Please cut them some slack, or else they will not be open next year.
This issue was made far worse last year when St James’s street was excluded from the Pride street party area. And it is that which created the extra policing issue.
Note that the clientele at the Camelford are mostly 40+year-old gay men, and hardly the types to cause trouble.
The Police also objected to St James Tavern late licence, i watched the licencing hearing. The Police were using such issues as the pub was slow to clear up on pride two years ago.
The Police blamed the pub for crowds on St James street which resulted in the road being closed. The Police expected the excluded venues fro Pride to police the whole street.
The Police are back to as they were 30 years ago against the local scene. The council and police plan failed massively last year and they are trying to find someone to blame.
In fact last years plans left the excluded venues open to a terrorist attack as it was the only busy area in the city not protected by the police and the council wanting to leave the road open.
THE POLICE ARE NOT ON THE LOCAL SCENES SIDE
The police need to do their job and worry about the insane amount of drugs dealing that goes on at pride rather than a pub in kemp town serving some old queen’s, mental