Pub closes doors after rise in abuse of staff

A pub shut its doors on one of its busiest days of trading after the landlord took a stand against verbal abuse directed at staff.

Matt Warwick, owner of The Swan in Needham Market, Suffolk, said he had seen more incidents in a week than he had seen in the last two years with staff left feeling "broken" and struggling to face coming to work.

As the levels of abuse ramped up, the landlord said "enough is enough" and he declared last orders and closed on Saturday.

He said: "It's hospitality [and] you want people to feel at home. However, when they cross the line they need to remember the staff aren't there on a night out – they are there to work."

Speaking to Wayne Bavin on BBC Radio Suffolk, the landlord said: "We were having a staff member every day in tears, upset, not wanting to come to work because of the level of abuse.

"It's not all customers. The vast majority are lovely, but when you have people who don't want to come to work, who have been in the industry for 10 or 15 years, it's not acceptable."

He said not all incidents of shouting and swearing towards staff had been driven by alcohol.

"I think people get confused between public house and public space," he said.

"A public house is private property. It's owned by somebody. You don't have the right to behave how you want or say what you want to say within those premises."

Warwick is due to leave the pub after handing in his notice and despite losing trade as a result of standing up for staff he said the support and positive feedback had made it worthwhile.

Other businesses across Suffolk, including Harriet's tearooms in Bury St Edmunds have also experienced abuse.

Roger Barrow, who has run the business for 25 years, said he turned a customer away because he was about to close, and faced abuse that resulted in him having to call the police.

"I got nothing but insults thrown at me about my business," he said.

"I found myself making apology after apology and she refused to move away from my doorway."

Barrow said calling the police had been the last resort.

"This is a very, very small minority of customers," he said.

"In hospitality, most business owners would agree, you remember these moments and too often we forget all the amazing experiences all our customers have had.

"It's rare, but these stay with you for a long time."

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