ELDERLY residents who claimed they are "plagued" by antisocial behaviour from a nearby pub have lost their fight to stop its opening hours being extended.

Councillors on Durham County Council's Licensing Sub-Committee said they could find "no substantial reason" not to accept William Drennan's application to open The Three Tuns pub, in Shildon, an hour earlier every day.

Residents of nearby Association Street submitted statements saying they have witnessed everything from drunken brawls to people urinating in the street and drug dealing outside the premises.

None of the residents attended the meeting but Durham County Councillor for Shildon and Dene Valley, Henry Nicholson, read out a statement on behalf of one of the residents.

The resident said she had been "subject to shouting, swearing and antisocial behaviour" and had even been put on medication because of the anxiety caused by the noise and disturbance, especially coming from the pub's beer garden.

"It's unbearable for us," she said. "There have been several violent disturbances; to subject us to music at 9am is unacceptable."

However, councillors sitting on the committee at County Hall, Durham, yesterday, heard how only five of the 17 objection letters had been verified and there were no objections from the council’s planning department, Durham Local Safeguarding Children Board, the County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service or Durham Police's Alcohol Harm Reduction Unit.

Mr Drennan, who did attend, said he has ran the pub for the last 21 years and was "gutted" at the comments.

"I put myself on the line seven days a week to make sure The Three Tuns is running correctly," he said. "I consider it to be a community pub and I have done everything I can in these 21 years to make it a community pub."

Mr Drennan said many of his members had requested he open the pub earlier to accommodate their morning routines.

The board, which was led by Councillor Joyce Maitland, agreed to grant the variation in Mr Drennan's licence which means he will be able to sell alcohol and play recorded music from 9am each day.

Cllr Maitland said: "This is an application for opening earlier and there is no substantial reason why that cannot be accepted."