An arts and crafts dealer has made an impassioned appeal to Carmarthenshire County Council not to grant a pub two doors down longer opening hours.

Narda Mantle claimed that extended opening hours for pubs in Newcastle Emlyn had been a “disaster” for the market town.

In a letter to the council’s licensing department objecting to The Pelican Inn’s application to open until 2.30am on Friday and Saturday nights and midnight on Monday to Thursday, Ms Mantle said she had been in business on Sycamore Street for 20 years and put more than £1m into the local economy.

Ms Mantle said she lived above her shop — The Maker’s Mark — and claimed late opening hours for pubs were having a “colossal” impact on her well-being and that of the town.

Although she had some warm words for The Pelican Inn, she said taxis frequently idled outside her flat at closing time, with the drivers then hammering on the pub’s door to rouse their fares.

Ms Mantle added that the noise of the drivers then banging on the pub’s door “would wake the dead” and “would certainly wake me if I was naive enough to go to sleep before 2am”.

Ms Mantle said she understood that The Pelican Inn management would want longer hours “to even out the playing field with other pubs”.

The council has received two referrals from Dyfed-Powys Police about the pub since 2016.

Police have not objected to the extended hours application but recommended 19 conditions, including that no customers enter or re-enter the premises after midnight.

The application was due to be decided at a council licensing sub-committee meeting on 18 September, but it was adjourned.

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