A meeting to decide if a Hornchurch pub can amend its licensing conditions has been postponed due to an email.

Today (September 13), members of Havering Council gathered at 10.30am to discuss the application submitted by the Rising Sun pub in Hornchurch.

Within the submitted plans is a change of layout to the ground floor, which would see a rear lounge with bar, outside toilet and smoking area added.

The decision was due to be made just weeks after police were called to the venue twice over to reports of an alleged assault and a "fracas".

However, chair Cllr Christine Smith, who took over from Cllr Philippa Crowder, concluded the meeting after two minutes.

This is because an email was sent to members of the committee on September 4.

Councillor Paul Middleton of Saint Andrews ward wrote he “absolutely” does not want the licensing to go ahead.

The meeting was unable to go ahead because all the committee members had seen the email and might have been prejudiced by it.

In the meeting, Cllr Smith said: “The meeting will be taken with a different [licensing] committee at a different date and the email that Cllr Middleton sent will be disclosed by officers."

Cllr Middleton told the Recorder: “Hornchurch was a quiet town, but the slow creep of licences and venues, it has turned the daytime environment into a nighttime environment and we do not have the police to control the situation.”

He also added the email is with regards to conditions of the existing licensing of the pub.

Havering Council said a new committee will now be gathered and the meeting will take place as soon as possible.