A PUB landlord has hit out at council noise nuisance officers who claimed he sang Ring of Fire loudly on the microphone after he was told to turn down the volume of an outdoor festival.

The officers had also claimed Richard Carr, who run the Half Butt Inn, in Nayland Road, Great Horkesley, used the microphone to get the 150-strong crowd to sing along.

The evidence was put to Mr Carr during a review of his premises licence on Friday, after which he is was banned from playing any outdoor music.

The review was called by Colchester Council after dozens of complaints were received about noise coming from the village pub. Complaints were first received by the council in May this year.

But matters came to a head during a Bank Holiday event on Saturday, August 26, after about 30 noise complaints were made.

When environmental protection officers arrived on the scene at about 9.30pm, they claimed Mr Carr was “aggressive” and “argumentative”.

They also said after they left, they heard the landlord take the mic and tell the crowd noise complaints had been made before launching into a rendition of the Johnny Cash hit while encouraging his audience to sing along.

But during the hearing, he challenged the evidence, saying: “They have no idea if I did that - I did not do that.

“If I was singing Ring of Fire, trust me, people would know about it.”

He also denied being argumentative with two council officers, whose evidence to the authority’s licensing sub-committee stated they walked away from Mr Carr to ensure their safety.

He said: “I was asking them questions.

“Yes, I asked to see their identification. I didn’t know who they were.”

Mr Carr told the committee he was not at the pub when officers arrived because he had taken his dog for a walk around the perimeter of the pub to check how loud the music was.

He said he did not find it excessive.

But officers’ evidence showed the level of the music would have been much higher than the permitted 65 decibels.

They said the pub’s nearest neighbours would have heard the music at 89 decibels.

Residents on other roads would have experienced about 80 decibels.

An increase of 10 decibels is roughly a doubling in volume to the human ear.

The committee banned Mr Carr from playing outdoor music - both live and recorded. Mr Carr said: “To be honest, I’m happy about it.

“It has caused us nothing by trouble.

“We haven’t really done anything since the Bank Holiday and we won’t be.

“We’ll still have a disco on New Year’s Eve but that will all be indoors.”

He also confirmed he would give up the Enterprise-owned pub in February.

Mr Carr added: “I suppose this is the nail in the coffin really.

“Not specifically this committee - I don’t mind what they’ve done, but the whole situation.

“This is the first pub I have ever run - my first and last.”