Pubs which allow violent and threatening behaviour have been threatened with closure by the new chairman of Elmbridge Council’s licensing committee.

At a meeting on Monday, June 22, Councillor Ian Donaldson warned owners of “problem pubs” that they faced having their licences revoked if they did not crack down on drink-fuelled violence and other antisocial behaviour.

Home Secretary Theresa May announced last week that local authorities could get extra powers to cope with the extended opening times the previous Government introduced in 2005.

The plan then was to engender “cafe culture”, but Coun Donaldson urged fellow members to report problem pubs to the council. He predicted the committee would face a year of reviewing previously granted licences.

He said: “The cafe culture in England hasn’t worked – it’s meant people on a night out have just got more drunk. Crime and disorder from alcohol costs £13bn a year and means every household is paying £600 to pay for it. Residents are concerned. It is frightening when you see 20 to 30 youths outside a pub fighting.”

Coun Donaldson is working with officers to make pub owners more accountable for the behaviour that takes place on their premises.

Coun Donaldson’s warning followed a story in last week’s Elmbridge Guardian of a fight involving 20 to 30 people outside the Percy Lambert pub in Weybridge High Street.

One Weybridge resident, who asked not to be named, said fights in the Percy Lambert had become a “common occurrence”.

He said: “I don’t really like to go in there anymore because there always seems to be trouble and I don’t want to spend my money in a place I don’t feel safe in.

“It’s not the local crowd it used to be. Maybe that’s the problem. People don’t like to cause trouble on their own doorstep, but they’re happy to come into another town, get drunk and start fights.”

Fights outside the Bear pub in Esher High Street have also sparked complaints.

One resident said: “There’s always quite a lot of drunk youngsters hanging around, making noise and falling over and eventually the police are called. You see fights outside there as well. I sometimes have to remind myself this is Esher, not Magaluf.

“It’s quite intimidating and can ruin your night if you go out for a meal. If you stay in, it disturbs you all night, with the shrieking and police sirens. I think it should be up to the person who runs the pub to stop these things happening.”

Jonathan Dunne, who owns the Albert Arms pub and the George Bar and Brasserie in Esher, said the Bear was not a problem pub, but agreed that landlords have the power to prevent antisocial behaviour.

He said: “We won’t serve anyone who is already drunk and we monitor the outside areas to make sure they are clean. We also have a zero tolerance on anyone who is aggressive to staff members. If anyone is caught acting in an antisocial way, they are banned forever.”

Both the Percy Lambert and the Bear did not wish to comment.