Host in cellar spy' fight given notice

by MA Reporter An InnSpired licensee from West Bromwich has been given 28 days notice after complaining about "authoritarian" beer monitoring equipment. Paul Wood, from the Sow & Pigs, decided to charge Nucleus Data £10 for every pint of beer it draws off during installation, which lands it with an immediate £120-plus bill. The installers withdrew once they were informed of the costs. But Wood's obstructiveness backfired when InnSpired served 28 days' notice on him to leave the pub. Wood responded in kind, giving three months' verbal notice to his pubco. InnSpired says it is fully within its rights installing the beer monitoring equipment, and that it would like Wood to stay. It has offered him free beer to replace losses during installation. But Wood is adamant that the equipment is "authoritarian" and that it will interfere with the way he runs his pub. Specifically, he is concerned that the occasions when he may operate a "relaxed regime at drinking-up time" will be recorded and possibly made available to the local police, jeopardising his licence. "My customers expect me to look after them and anything like this that may prevent me from serving when they expect to be served will antagonise them." Peter Campbell, northern operations director for InnSpired, said: "We've a clear right to install the equipment and have been explaining that to Mr Wood for months. Unfortunately he has been obstructive throughout, and his totally unreasonable reaction has forced us to serve notice. "We will withdraw that if he changes his mind," he added. Commenting on Wood's concerns over opening hours information being passed to the police, Campbell said: "We cannot condone any possible after-hours drinking, but I would stress that any information we hold is strictly confidential.