The Punch Bowl, Low Bentham: Tenant of Yorkshire Dales pub to appear in court again accused of breaching closure order after selling alcohol without a licence

Craven Council were successfully granted the order last July, and tenants Douglas and Shanti Traynor were told they could no longer sell alcohol from The Punch Bowl in Low Bentham, near Skipton, having been caught doing so without a premises licence. They remained in the building to run a campsite and takeaway food service.

In January of this year, the couple, 72 and 52, were prosecuted by the council at Harrogate Magistrates Court for offences under the Licensing Act, and found guilty at trial.

However it has now been confirmed that Mr Traynor faces further action in the criminal courts over allegations that he has breached the terms of the closure order made in July 2022 and continued to trade. He has been reported for summons before magistrates at a date yet to be set.

The Traynors have also submitted an appeal against their convictions, which is set to be heard in the Crown court in June.

The Punch Bowl is owned by Mark Dew, who has never given consent for the transfer of his premises licence to the Traynors. Neither has undergone the training necessary to hold a personal licence, meaning the pub did not have a named Designated Premises Supervisor.

Mr Dew is currently pursuing eviction proceedings against the Traynors in the civil courts, alleging unpaid rent totalling £80,000. He bought The Punch Bowl five years ago, and the Traynors took it over after the retirement of the previous tenant a year later.