Portsmouth pub owner 'given up all hope' as neighbouring tavern Traveller's Rest left to rot and becomes crime hotspot

John Molloy, owner of the Castle Tavern in Somers Road, Somers Town, is at his wits end as the adjacent Traveller’s Rest has been left to rot. The tavern was closed nearly ten years ago and the 72-year-old said problems have occurred since.

He added that youths have been venturing into the building and throwing tiles at nearby windows and onto the street from the roof. The site is also a hive for squatters and drug dealing, the landlord said, leaving him too scared to live in its vicinity.

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‘This is getting serious now,’ he told The News. ‘Bricks and debris are being thrown everywhere. The building is not secured and is fully accessible.

‘Kids are getting on the roof and using tiles as missiles to break windows. It’s like living in Beirut. I’m scared to stay in my flat.’

Mr Molloy, who also owns The Electric Arms in Fratton Road, said the dangerous site is being used as a ‘playground’ for those aged 10-17. He said the annex patio doors were broken earlier this week – with items being stolen – and the outer glass on the double-glazed door being smashed the previous week.

‘It’s the bane of our lives at the moment,’ he added. ‘They’ve been up on the roof and they are throwing missiles at us constantly. I’m losing business because of this. I’ve given up all hope.’

Mr Molloy said he’s asked the police, fire service, Portsmouth City Council and local MP Stephen Morgan for help. He added that the dilapidated privately-owned building should be demolished as it’s a health hazard.

‘I want to save a child’s life. I wouldn’t want the stigma of the death of a child on my conscience when something could have been done about it.’

Stephen Morgan said the problems at the site are ‘concerning’ and he’s visited the building with police and talked to residents about the ‘crime and disorder issues’.

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‘I share the view that making the site safe should be the priority of the council,’ he said. ‘The best way to do that is by demolition. I will continue to take action to address concerns of constituents.’

A police spokeswoman said they’ve received eight reports of anti-social behaviour, public order and criminal damage incidents at The Traveller’s Rest since January 2022 – with patrols at the location happening daily. ‘We will continue with these patrols and want the community to know that we are there for them,’ she added.

‘We would encourage people to keep reporting incidents to us – if we don’t know the scale of the problem then we can’t target our resources effectively.’

The spokeswoman added officers have dealt with youths entering the building and are working to identify its owner to do follow-up work to ‘target-harden the location’.

A Portsmouth City Council spokesman said: ‘We have limited powers to deal with private buildings in these situations, but we're aware of the issues and are taking action. In December we issued a community protection notice to the freeholder, ordering them to keep the site secure from any unauthorised entry and to remove all the excess waste on the land.

‘The freeholder didn't comply with this so we issued a fixed penalty in January, which went unpaid. We're now working on a prosecution.’

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service were also approached for comment.