COUNCILLORS will consider an application for a Spennymoor pub to extend its opening hours with new measures to prevent underage drinking.

Members of Durham County Council’s statutory licensing sub-committee will be asked to consider variations to the licence of The Railway public house when they meet at the council offices on Green Lane, Spennymoor, on Tuesday, September 23, at 10am.

Camerons Brewery applied to the council in July for permission to extend its licence for entertainment and refreshments including alcohol at The Railway, on Clyde Terrace.

It wants the pub to be able to stay open from 8am to 12.30am Monday to Thursday and Sundays, and until 1.30am on Fridays and Saturdays.

Its current licence allows it to be open 11am to 12.30am Monday to Saturday and 11am to midnight on Sundays.

The application to vary its premises licence also seeks an extension to the times it is allowed to play music and serve drink, bringing the permitted times for both forward from 11am to 9am and extending late night alcohol sales.

A series of new conditions have been proposed in a bid to address concerns raised by the Local Safeguarding Children Board about the availability of alcohol to young people and the harm it can cause.

They include tighter measures to prevent underage drinking such as insisting all staff seek credible photographic identification of anyone who looks under 25, staff training, measures to stop older relatives or friends buying alcohol on behalf of someone under 18 and a refusal register to log details of those young people turned away from the bar or customers considered to be intoxicated.

Durham Police has not objected to the application.