A PUB in Urmston says it is 'open to communication' with the residents who accused its customers of anti-social behaviour.

The Messenger last week reported The Garricks Head on Moorside Road had been slammed by residents on neighbouring Brook Road during a consultation on a planning application to move its smoking area.

The residents made a number of accusations about the pub's customers, including of public urination, trespass and drug use.

In their letter to the council during the consultation, one of the residents said: "I've witnessed numerous instances of people urinating in the street, on our neighbours' walls and on our fence.

"I've seen patrons trespassing on our neighbours' property and several instances where there was the threat of a physical altercation.

"There are clear signs of drug use on the street outside the pub, and we've also seen individuals and small groups of people walk down the alleyway behind our property to smoke cannabis."

Punch Pubs, the operator in charge of The Garricks Head and around 1,300 other pubs in the UK, has responded to the accusations.

Jannine Leadbetter, senior operations manager at Punch Pubs, said: "The Garricks Head is a community pub.

"Since reopening in April, the team have been overwhelmed by the support from locals.

"With this in mind, the team remain open to communication with immediate residents of the pub and wider community to ensure The Garricks Head continues to be a space for everyone to enjoy."

Ms Leadbetter made no denial of the accusations.

The planning application at the heart of these accusations was approved by the council's planning committee last week, meaning the pub can now move its smoking area from its eastern side to its western side.

Issues like public urination, trespass and drug use were not considered as relevant to the planning application, but other objections relating to noise and smell were still raised at the planning committee meeting.

However, councillors approved the planning application in line with the recommendation of the council's planning officers, seeing no reason to refuse it.

Councillor Meena Minnis, a Liberal Democrat from Timperley Ward, summed up the feelings of those who voted for the planning application's approval.

She said: "You live near a pub, that's kind of how it is."