A pub has been temporarily closed after failing to tell police about a fight where a man was taken to hospital.

The Black Horse in Church Street, Brighton, has had its licence suspended after failing to tell police about the fight on the premises.

The pub has also been found with several high-level drug readings on multiple occasions in the last year.

Sussex Police DSI Rachel Carr said: “Licensed premises have a duty to ensure the safety of their customers and the wider public.

"Failure to adhere to these responsibilities will be taken extremely seriously by the police and our partners.

“We are committed to working with premises to help them meet their licensing objectives, but repeated failures will not be tolerated and will be dealt with accordingly.

“I hope this decision by Brighton and Hove’s licensing panel sends a clear message to licence holders that we and our partners will not hesitate to take positive action to safeguard our communities.”

The incident in which a man was taken to hospital with “serious injuries” took place on Thursday, January 12.

A week later, a Brighton and Hove City Council licence review voted to suspend the licence at a meeting on Thursday, January 19.

The pub will initially have its licence paused for 28 days. A further decision will be made following the completion of a full review.

Sussex Police applied for the licence to be suspended amid fears that “was not meeting its objectives to ensure public safety and prevent crime and disorder”.

The Argus: A notice of Summary Review in the window of the pubA notice of Summary Review in the window of the pub (Image: NQ Staff)

A notice on the door of the closed pub read: “The grounds for the review are that in the opinion of a senior police officer the premises are associated with both serious Crime and Disorder.

Anyone wishing to make a representation to the review into the pub’s licence can send a brief written statement before February 1, 2023.