Pub landlord banned from giving customers lift home in 'mean-spirited' move

A pub landlord who used to give customers lifts home after closing time has been banned from doing so, in a move that has shocked locals.

Paul Hartfield, owner of the Flying Horse pub in Smarden, Kent, offered the lifts in exchange for a small charitable donation.

Hartfield had raised hundreds for the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MND) after one of the pub’s regulars was diagnosed with the disease.

The lifts ensured customers made it back home safely and avoided the risk of driving, with Hartfield using his black cab to transport his customers home.

But on Friday the landlord received a letter from the local council telling him to stop. Hartfield had been featured in an article about the fundraising initiative in a local newspaper. Ashford Borough Council wrote to Mr Hartfield demanding he cease the cab service.

(Shepherd Neame)

The letter stated: “As discussed, it has come to the attention of the Licensing Authority, through a recent KentOnline article, that you have purchased a black cab for the purposes of transporting customers of the Flying Horse, Smarden.

“It is understood from the article that the service is offered to customers booking a table, with a suggested charitable donation. It is also understood that the service has been offered since November with significant uptake reported.”

The pub landlord offered lifts to his customers (Getty Stock)

The letter goes on to say that his offer of transport home in a ‘private hire vehicle’ meant he was now subject to ‘requirements for local authority licensing’.

The council then directed Hartfield to the relevant licensing web page on their website.

The news came as a shock, as Hartfield did not make a profit from his gesture, which began in November last year.

“It’s mean-spirited that we are doing this for charity and I’m not quite sure what I’m going to do, to be honest,” he told The Telegraph. “With the Government increasing business rates and rising costs, it just feels like it’s all going against us pubs at the moment.”

(Shepherd Neame)

He added: “It is just like a friend giving another friend a lift home.”

Before the council put a stop to his charitable taxi service, Hartfield helped more than 100 people get home, including over the Christmas period, and raised around £700 for the charity in December.

FOODbible has approached Ashford Borough Council for comment.