Failsworth pub has licence suspended following brawl and stabbings
The Anglers Arms in Failsworth, Oldham, has had its licence suspended following a violent brawl involving up to 40 men and stabbings on April 6. The decision was made by Oldham Council’s licensing committee after GMP raised serious concerns about the pub. Two men were hospitalized with stab wounds, and one suspect is in custody. The pub, one of the oldest in Failsworth, appealed to retain its licence, citing its long-standing family-friendly reputation. A substantive hearing will determine the pub’s future.
Oldham Council shuttered The Anglers Arms on Tuesday after a midnight street battle outside the 19th-century Failsworth pub left two men hospitalised with stab wounds and a head injury.
The licensing committee suspended the Wrigley Head venue’s licence with immediate effect, acting on what police described as 18 months of escalating trouble that culminated in “up to 40 males” fighting and wielding knives shortly before midnight on Sunday 6 April.
Greater Manchester Police raced to the scene at 11:51 pm after residents dialled 999 to report the brawl spilling from the pub onto the street. Officers found a 23- to 28-year-old man stabbed in the abdomen; a second man of the same age range suffered a head injury. Both were taken to North Manchester General Hospital. One suspect remains in custody.
Licensing officer Julian Addison told councillors that four emergency calls mentioned knives and that the incident consumed “several police patrols”, leaving Oldham short of officers “for the rest of the evening and into Monday morning”. Police have recorded three section-18 assaults and one drugs-supply offence linked to the disturbance.
Pub owners, unable to attend the hearing, submitted a statement read by principal licensing officer Elise Brophy: “We’ve owned the pub for over a decade and nothing of this incident has ever occurred… Anglers Arms is currently the oldest pub in Failsworth with a long historical record of being a family pub.” They pleaded not to “let our customers and staff down” and promised to “abide by licence terms”.
The committee ruled the premises can reopen only under a new licence-holder vetted by GMP. A full hearing to decide permanent revocation or new conditions will be scheduled later.
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