Fears have been raised that a quiet village on the outskirts of Bradford is becoming the place to go for late-night drinking.

The concerns were voiced as a pub – The Royal Hotel in Clayton – applied for a late licence to compete with its rivals in the village.

At a meeting of the Bradford District Licensing Panel yesterday, landlord Simon Greaves said other local pubs were open until the early hours every weekend. But environmental health officer Jeanette Howarth said she had already been concerned that drinkers in Clayton were disturbing villagers as they moved between different premises. She said: “If this pub is open until 2 o’clock in the morning, then that is going to exacerbate the problem we already have in the village.”

PC Shaun Marshall, a licensing officer for West Yorkshire Police, said they had been called to numerous incidents at the Royal Hotel in recent months, including a glassing, a fight involving 50 people and drug-dealing outside the pub. John Baruch, who lives next door to the pub, said: “I have suffered from noise and the large fights going on. The village is starting to get a name as a late-night drinking place.”

Ward councillor Carol Thirkill asked the panel to refuse the application.

She said: “ To grant extended hours as if it was a city centre location will not help our community.”

Mr Greaves disputed a claim made by an objector that the pub played music in outside areas through speakers, and also a claim that violence at the pub had got worse since he took over.

He agreed to upgrade the pub’s CCTV system. He had originally asked to sell alcohol until 2am on Fridays and Saturdays, but at the meeting he lowered this request to 1.30am. The panel agreed to let the pub serve alcohol until 1am only on Fridays and Saturdays.