A veteran Reading publican was dismayed after a reportedly 'new neighbour' complained to the council about his 142-year-old pub.

David Rigg has been working 90 hour weeks fighting to keep the Roebuck running after lockdown but a noise complaint has left him feeling disheartened and paranoid.

He blamed student house parties for the noise, which was reported to the council at 3am, claiming he would ‘eat his hat’ if any of his music events at the Auckland Road pub had ever lasted passed 11pm.

“Me and one other girl are sometimes having to work 18 hours a day just to see us through, so when we do get a complaint, certainly when we haven’t done anything wrong, it’s a bit disheartening,” said Mr Rigg, who has previously run the Sportsman, the Maidens, the George and Dragon, the Westside and the Royal Albion in Reading.

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“It makes you very paranoid about anything we put on. Even though it’s quite a hot day, I’m making sure all the doors and windows are closed and the jukebox is to a minimum.

"I don’t think we should have to be like this just because somebody’s got a gripe.”

The 52-year-old said in the 10 years he’s run the Roebuck, he’s never received a complaint, insisting that he closes the beer garden at 10:30pm and that all bands must leave by 11pm – despite his licence lasting until 12pm.

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Because he posted a letter containing his contact details to his neighbours after lockdown in case any events were too loud, he suspects a new neighbour involved Reading Borough Council.

“We’ve really struggled over the last two and a half years, especially coming out of the pandemic. We’re barely breaking even. I work for nothing at the moment. It’s disheartening because we try and do all these things to encourage people back in.”

“If we can’t give the customers what they want, they’ll just stop coming. With the pandemic, people’s drinking habits have changed, so even just getting our old customers back to the level we were pre-pandemic is like fighting a losing battle.”