Twickenham Stadium has had restrictions placed on its licence following several complaints by residents.

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) had applied to include the renovated east stand in the stadium's licence. However, following a four-hour hearing by the council and 85 official objections from residents, many new conditions were suggested. 

Several people complained of drug-taking, public urination and littering.

Many residents complained especially about the Eminem concert in July, which they said led to more antisocial behaviour than other events, with many complaining about drugs and public urination, and one resident saying his pregnant wife was verbally abused.

Councillor Ben Khosa said he had complained about public urination many times, and felt the issue was not being addressed, blaming it on the number of alcohol stadium-goers were drinking.

A representative for the RFU at the meeting said individuals were responsible for their own actions but apologised for issues surrounding the Eminem concert.

Councillor Helen Lee-Parsons, chairwoman of the committee that granted the new licence, said: “The licensing sub-committee determined the RFU’s licence should be granted subject to a number of conditions.

“In doing so, the committee took into account the substantial representations from the local community who expressed concerns about anti-social behaviour and nuisance arising from events.

“The committee welcomes the applicants offering extra conditions on its licence in response to residents’ concerns. We are satisfied that the granted licence strikes the right balance.”

These extra conditions include: At least two of the three concerts each year must be held on a Saturday, street cleaning efforts are to be included as part of the “sanitation plan”, hospitality areas in the new east stand on non-game days (e.g. weddings, functions etc) will stop serving drinks at 1 am rather than 2 am on Fridays and Saturdays, and once they go past 11 pm on any night there will be no more than 1,900 people there.

The RFU has also said it will investigate whether stewards could issue on-the-spot fines for anti-social behaviour, and there will be more monitoring and training of staff selling alcohol.

An RFU spokeswoman said: “The local community is really important to us as is being a good neighbour. We look at all complaints individually, take each one seriously and make sure that we address any concerns.

“We worked extremely constructively with the council on the license conditions and will continue to collaborate with them on our activity.”