A LANDLADY has spoken of her relief after police decided not to charge her with using racially aggravating language during a disturbance at her Great Yarmouth pub on Good Friday.

A LANDLADY has spoken of her relief after police decided not to charge her with using racially aggravating language during a disturbance at her Great Yarmouth pub on Good Friday.

Alison Smith was told today by police that no further action was going to be taken against her following the trouble at the Albion pub, in Nelson Road Central.

But she is still waiting to hear if her pub can re-open following a licensing review, which is due to be heard before the borough council on Thursday.

She said: “I am absolutely ecstatic about the decision because I am not a racist person. My pub is probably one of the only pubs in Yarmouth that has such a multi-cultural range of people.

“We all come into the world the same way and we all leave the world the same way and that is my philosophy on life.”

Police officers arrived at the pub at about 10.45pm on April 10 and found a number of windows had been broken.

Four men were arrested on suspicion of committing criminal damage and Mrs Smith was held on suspicion of using racially aggravating language, an allegation she vehemently denies.

As a consequence, police immediately imposed a closure order on the pub under section 161 of the Licensing Act - the first in the borough since the legislation was introduced in 2005 - citing “the risk to public safety and the threat of imminent disorder.”

The case came before Norwich Magistrates' Court on Saturday morning where it was decided the pub must remain closed pending a local authority licensing review.