THE Eagle Tavern will remain shut until December at the earliest after a decision by the Licensing Assembly yesterday to refuse to allow the licence to be reinstated.

And owners Randalls were clearly told in the Royal Court yesterday they will have to meet the concerns of local residents if the pub is to get its licence back at the next sitting. The Assembly revoked the licence in June after hearing of events in August last year when someone was stabbed outside the Lemprière Street pub. The Assembly found that the manageress had not been properly trained and was not competent to act as a pub manager. Giving judgment, the Deputy Bailiff, Michael Birt, said that it was not open to the Assembly to permanently revoke the licence as the premises had held a first category taverner’s licence for many years. But Mr Birt said that given the more recent history of the Eagle, before allowing it to reopen the Assembly would need to be satisfied that the ‘real and justified concerns’ of residents had been fully addressed and that all reasonable steps had been taken by Randalls to try to meet those concerns.