WE'RE TEEPEED OFF WITH THE PUB...

UNHAPPY NEIGHBOURS SAY NOISE FROM AWARD-WINNING BOOZER'S BEER GARDEN IS 'LIKE LIVING NEXT TO A MUSIC FESTIVAL'

- JAMES HOLT

FED-UP residents living close to an award-winning pub say its large outdoor 'teepee' has turned their lives into a 'nightmare, with one likening the noise to a 'festival outside her house!

The Eagle and Child, in Ramsbottom, erected the structure in its beer garden during the pandemic. The teepee seats up to 72 people and has been described by the pub's owners, Daniel Thwaites, as an 'essential part of the business! It is used to host events including weddings, christenings and birthday parties. However, the pub, which was crowned UK 'Pub of the Year' in 2017, has now been ordered to remove the teepee and an outdoor bar following complaints from neighbours.

Aimee Burgess, who lives opposite the pub in Whalley Road, claims the 'constant noise' made by people attending events at the teepee was 'like having a festival outside the house! On one occasion, she claimed she was awoken by revellers performing karaoke outside the pub at 1am.

She said: "It's like having a festival outside the house with the amount of music, people wooing and cheering, and bottles smashing. It's constant."

When the teepee was first built, Ms Burgess said it was 'absolutely fine. But, as more events began to be held at the pub, the problems began. "It's only been bad since they started holding weddings and parties in the outside tent," she said. "At first, there was an event every weekend. Now there's an event during the week and every Friday, Saturday and Sunday night."

A shortage of parking spaces means customers often park their cars on surrounding roads, Ms Burgess claimed.

She explained: "On a weekend, we have to be back by half six if we want to park anywhere close to our house.