A pub has come under fire after a neighbour claimed a pipe was installed on his garden fence without permission.

The White Horse, off Rickmansworth Road, has had a £150,000 revamp and during a licensing meeting yesterday, one neighbour questioned why a pipe was built on his side of the fence.

Mr James told the licensing committee at Three Rivers District Council: “It has been put up on my side of the fence and to do that it would have required access to my garden and permission from me or my wife and they did not have it.

“This is therefore trespassing”.

But solicitor for Greene King Piers Warne said they were not aware of this and would look into the case.

Neighbours living near the pub turned up to vent their concerns about the proposed extension of the pub’s opening hours and the prospect of more live music at the pub.

Pub bosses want the pub to be open until 12.30am Monday to Thursday and until 12.30am on Sundays. The pub would still close at 1am on Fridays and Saturdays.

Included in the licence variation were also plans to permit live music to be played until 11pm. Alcohol sales would also be extended by half an hour Monday to Thursday and on Sunday.

Bruce James, whose garden backs on to the pub garden, told the committee: “As far as the live music goes, it will make our house hell and we are desperately worried about it.

“We have lived here for 28 years and we are concerned about the extended opening hours resulting in customers leaving noisily at night.

“Our summerhouse is 30 feet from the fence and if there is live or recorded music, it would have huge effect on our use of this. If there was to be music at night, it would have a detrimental effect on our sleeping because we would be able to hear it even with the windows shut.

“The parking bays have been reduced to 21 spaces and presumably staff would take up some of these and this means customers might have to park on Rickmansworth Road.”

Piers Warne said the management team were focusing on creating a “pub with a strong food offer” and would not make it a “live music venue”.

Of the proposal to extend the opening hours, Mr Warne said: “It is not going to attract customers from outside of the area late at night. It will allow customers to stay an extra half an hour to finish their drink and a chat.

“There is no evidence that there are problems with dispersal at closing time at the end of the night on either a Friday or a Saturday night, which are the busiest nights.”

He added that the pub’s operators are also running The King Stag in Bournehall Road, Bushey, and they had turned the pub from a “tired” pub into a “very very good pub” and they were hoping to do the same with The White Horse.

Ian Fife, who also lives in The Paddocks, described car parking around the Kings Stag in Bushey as “diabolical” and fears punters may be forced to park on other residential roads near The White Horse.

He added: “We don’t mind the occasional party but if this was to be granted, we would have no control over how much it will be used.”

The Licensing Sub-Committee is expected to decide on the proposals later this week.