Both pubs have condemned the abuse
Both pubs said they were now talking to each other following the incident(Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)
Two Merseyside pubs have come together after a social media row and claims led to “abuse” towards staff at one of them.
The issue came to light after Eastham Ferry Hotel, a gastropub based on Ferry Road, put a post on social media following a picture appearing to show a group of men posing outside the pub with t-shirts saying “F*** the Eastham Ferry.” The hotel, which said it was posting with a “heavy heart”, wanted to hit back at some social media claims it said were false.
The social media row and photo have been linked to a petition the Eastham Tap is promoting in support of an entertainment licence. While the Eastham Ferry said it was happy to sign the petition, they claimed “some of our young female staff members have had abuse shouted at them when arriving to work in their uniform.”
Both pubs told the ECHO they were now talking to each other in order to move things forward and work closer together. Responding on social media to the original post, the Tap said it had no involvement in the picture and condemned the behaviour.
Hitting back at claims being made about the gastropub, Eastham Ferry said their entertainment licence had been held long before new owners took over and they had not made any complaints to Wirral Council. Referring to the alleged abuse, the hotel said: “This is unacceptable behaviour that we will not tolerate, and would like to hope, other members of the community would not deem acceptable.
“The Eastham Ferry Hotel welcome a resolution to the animosity between the businesses within the area, and management are always open and willing to have a chat. It is hoped that the various businesses at Eastham Ferry and their customers have a safe and enjoyable summer, in what is, a unique and picturesque part of the Wirral.”
In response to the post put out, the Tap said: “Said abuse towards members of the Eastham Ferry Hotel staff had not been brought to our attention until this post was published today. Abuse of any kind is not taken lightly here at The Tap and we would not condone any such behaviour.
“We can sincerely say that no one has come to speak to us regarding said allegations, or context, and we have solely concentrated on making sure our establishment is still welcoming to all.
“We want nothing more for the local businesses to thrive and it is a shame to see that the rumour mill is still turning. As always, our door and communication channels are open.”
The Eastham Tap’s petition is currently signed by more than 1,800 people. It was started after the pub said it could not screen the film Braveheart due to licensing issues on May 31. In a later post, the pub said it was having to cancel some big plans for this year.
On the petition page, Callum Kee-McParlin and Bob Muir Callum, who run the pub, said they “have worked hard to build The Tap as a true community hub, offering live music, charity events and outdoor cinema. But without an outdoor entertainment licence, we risk losing the events that bring us all together and support local artists, charities, and the whole community.”
The Tap is currently promoting a petition in support of an entertainment licence(Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)
The petition is understood to stem from a Wirral Council licence decision on November 29 last year. The pub had asked to vary the Tap’s licence to include the outside area.
According to minutes from the meeting, the pub said the extension “would improve supervision, mitigate congestion internally and avoid points of conflict arising from queues but that there would be no material change to the day to day operation of the premises.”
No representation has been made by Environmental Health or the council’s licensing department and the pub said it would work with authorities on noise.
The pub also hit back at claims live music had disturbed people’s sleep in the area though it was acknowledged the Glastonferry Festival may have affected childrens’ sleep time. However the pub said this did not rise above 100 decibels and film screens would not be capable of causing disruption.
However, five neighbours and their legal representative claimed “that they had been unable to sit in their gardens due to the nuisance caused to them from music being played in the beer garden of the premises. One of the residents who owned a café in the vicinity also reported that their customers had been affected by the noise and another resident who owned a business in the area and also lived at those premises that they had been unable to listen to their own television at the usual volume due to the noise from the applicant’s live music events.”
The council’s licensing committee then resolved to grant changes to the licence but refused allowing the pub to increase the licensed area. Wirral Council was approached for comment.