Two pubs granted public entertainment licences will face tough opposition from the borough's licensing police sergeant if they choose to apply for late opening times.

Sgt Karen Llewellyn has pledged to fight any applications for extended opening hours at Hancock's Bar and The Woodstock, both in North Cheam, because they are in residential areas.

She said: "If we have problems late at night when the pubs are turning out, then we are putting an extra strain on our resources. As a service, we just don't need any extra strain."

Hancock's Bar, in London Road, is the first to go to court to apply for its licence on December 11. Landlord Tony Millard seemed confident his application would be successful.

He said: "Previous landlords have said they were going to do it but they didn't. But this time I want it, the brewery wants it and hopefully we will get it."

But some residents living nearby are unhappy with the application.

Richard Mayhew, who lives opposite Hancock's in Willowhayne Gardens, said: "I think residents should be more informed of these licence applications.

"It affects the whole area and changes the character of a place having people from a pub turning out later.

"We have bottles smashed in the streets and people urinating in our alleys."

A spokesman for The Woodstock, also on London Road, said she could not confirm when the pub would be applying for its late licence.

Sergeant Llewellyn previously worked in Kingston and recently saw her argument used when a number of pubs, including the town's Litten Tree, were refused late opening licences.

Superintendent Paul Dowell said: "We will very much stand by what the people of Sutton want, but once an application is granted it is very hard to do anything about objecting to the decision.

"We are saying that people in Sutton have the right to know what is going on in their local area and they have the right to object."

December 10, 2001 16:30