Several Herefordshire pubs are planning to show England’s next World Cup game – even though it doesn’t kick off till 1am on Monday morning.
England face co-hosts Mexico in the round-of-16 clash at the locally anti-social hour, having seen off the Democratic Republic of the Congo 2-1 on Wednesday.
Eight pubs applied to Herefordshire Council for what are known as Temporary Event Notices or TENs – one-off approvals for serving alcohol or other licensable activities that go beyond those they are already entitled to host.
RELATED NEWS :
- Many pubs set to remain closed for England-Mexico World Cup game
- Name of town’s planned new 'Lounge' café/bar explained
- Changes planned for historic village pub ahead of reopening
But in an apparent U-turn yesterday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that pubs around the country can stay open until 5am on Monday morning without seeking a special licence.
A spokesperson for Herefordshire Council said its licensing team had since refunded the pubs which submitted TEN applications before the Prime Minister’s announcement.
Stay updated with all the latest Herefordshire news that matters to you!
The eight which had already applied, all but one in Hereford, are Doyle’s Sports Bar in Commercial Road; The Commercial, also in Commercial Road; The Kerry in Commercial Square; The Wellington in Widemarsh Street; The Oxford Arms, also in Widemarsh Street; The Brewers Arms in Eign Road; The Rose & Crown in Ledbury Road; and The Eagle Inn in Broad Street, Ross-on-Wye.
The Kerry’s manager Billy Harrison said he was looking forward to a good crowd, despite the hour. “It’s the World Cup, it only happens every four years, people are up for it,” he said.
Daniel at Doyle’s Sports Bar said: “It’s an England knockout game so hopefully there will be a good few along. We’ve had events like boxing at odd hours before.”
OTHER NEWS :
- Council still needs to buy land for Hereford bypass route
- Councillor pleads not guilty to cheating on election betting
- Town invited for peek inside new £8-million health centre
But staff at The Wellington and the Rose & Crown said they did not now expect to be open for the match, and would-be customers are advised to check ahead whether other venues are indeed opening specially.
Additionally The Grandstand in Grandstand Road, Hereford, The Yard in Aubrey Street, Hereford and the recently reopened Queens Arms in High Street, Bromyard have said online they will be staying open for the match.
Many pubs however will not be taking advantage of Sir Keir’s easing of the rules. National chain Wetherspoons said only five of its 800 pubs will open for the match.
Share