A POPULAR pub could be shut down after police drew up a damning report revealing a catalogue of violence and alcohol-fuelled crime.

Licensing chiefs in Southampton will decide whether to close The Griffin Inn at a meeting this week.

Police compiled a dossier of bad behaviour at the Shirley pub going back to 2010.

They include:

n A fight with baseball bats outside the pub.

• Several brawls inside and outside the pub, some of which resulted in windows being smashed.

• Regular noise nuisance for residents living nearby, which goes on into the early hours.

• Bar staff serving customers long after closing time.

Now the pub’s landlord, Colin Cheevers, will face the police and licensing bosses at a meeting on Thursday.

A number of residents living nearby have also written to the city council in support of the review, with one saying they have to endure “drunken, antisocial, unruly and intimidating behaviour” from customers until as late as 3am, as well as “drunken fights” both outside the pub and further up Anglesea Road.

In their report to the licensing committee, Hampshire police says the licence review has been called in a bid to prevent crime and disorder, and public nuisance.

Mr Cheevers has been designated premises supervisor (DPS) at the pub in Anglesea Road since February 2010, and licence holder since February 2012.

Police say that since he took over in 2010 there has been a rise in alcohol- related disorder after 11pm, while a lack of CCTV has “hampered police investigations of crimes at the premises” – including incidents when Mr Cheevers was the victim.

Police were called to The Griffin Inn in May 2010 when there were reports of a fight outside the pub with baseball bats, after two men had been refused entry.

Two months later officers were called after being told a customer had been threatened with a bar stool. Officers say there has been a string of fights and incidents where windows were smashed over the past four years, including one brawl on November 28 last year where windows were smashed again.

Some of the incidents have happened after the pub’s licensed closing time of 12.30am, with witnesses reporting that drinkers were being served until at least 1.30am.

Police say the “catalogue of incidents show that Mr Cheevers is not suitable to hold the premises licence or continue with the responsibility of DPS”.

Officers are also concerned that CCTV has not been provided to help with some incidents, including one where thieves broke in, smashed a fruit machine and ran off with cash last October.

They say they have taken the step of calling for the licence to be revoked after issuing Mr Cheevers with a number of warnings.

Concluding their report, the police said if the licence is not revoked it should be suspended for six months and Mr Cheevers removed as DPS.

Mr Cheevers told the Daily Echo that he was hopeful the situation could be resolved adding that he is in discussions with the police over reducing opening hours, installing a new CCTV system and replacing himself as DPS with bar manager Christine Coleman.

He said: “We are taking measures.

The incidents were over a long period of time, they were not happening every night.

“There have been some problems. The reason most of them happened was when we refused people entry into the pub, so they kicked off outside.

“We were doing our duty by not letting them in.”

The move comes less than a week after police also presented a dossier against another Southampton pub, The Dorchester Arms in Onslow Road, Bevois Valley.

As a result, that establishment will close later this month.