Licensee hits out over insurance costs

The manager of a North East pub claims he could be put out of business after receiving a massive increase in insurance costs.

John Anderson, who runs the Coach and Horses in Wallsend, North Tyneside, claims his annual bill has risen from £600 to £9,000.

Mr Anderson has complained to London-based County Estate Management, which took over the Coach and Horses earlier this year.

The company said the rise reflected an increase in premiums following the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US which hit insurance firms hard. However, it has agreed to ask its insurers to look again at the quote in the hope it can be reduced.

Mr Anderson claims other pubs owned by the company have also received massive increases in insurance costs and fears the problem could be more widespread.

Mr Anderson said: "The insurance on my pub has gone up by 1,500 per cent. It's unbelievable and it's not just me that has been affected by this.

"I have been told that it's because of September 11 that the premiums have gone up but I don't see how that could have caused such a big rise.

"This could put me and a few other people out of business."

A spokesman for County Estate Management declined to discuss individual cases, although he confirmed they were looking into the case.

He said: "A lot of this is to do with September 11. Insurers have decided to try to recoup money elsewhere. Other pub chains have also suffered big increases.

"There is no advantage to us to charge our customers more than necessary.

"We don't make money from this. If anything we lose, because we pay the insurance and then get the money back over 12 months."

Mr Anderson has appealed for any other publicans facing similarly huge increases to contact him on 0191 262 3005.