TWO people have been barred from city pubs and bars for a year as part of the ‘banned from one, banned from them all’ initiative launched a six months ago.

About 30 city centre venues signed up to the Pubwatch scheme when it was launched as a way of keeping drinking holes clear of troublemakers.

Anyone barred from one venue is then referred to a committee of four publicans who decided whether to impose a blanket ban of up to a year from all venues signed up to the scheme.

Oxford Pubwatch chairman Jacqueline Paphitis, landlady of the White Horse in Broad Street, said two people had been banned for a year for violence in a late-night venue since the scheme began. She said the ban would be reviewed when the year was up.

Ms Paphitis said another man had also been referred to the committee after he assaulted a tourist in a bar, but his fate had not yet been decided.

Ms Paphitis said: “The scheme has been very good. We haven’t had the trouble that we used to have — I am sure this scheme has got something to do with it.

“It has definitely made an impact — there are not as many troublemakers.”

The scheme is backed by Thames Valley Police and Nightsafe, which aims to improve safety in the city centre.

Photographs of banned people are made available to staff in participating venues, but the photos are not kept in places where the public can see them, Ms Paphitis said.

She could not go into any more details about the banned people as they were currently facing prosecution.

Fellow Pubwatch member Rob Opher, owner of Thirst Lodge in Pennyfarthing Place, said: “Feeling you cannot go out in the town you come from is a good deterrent.”

Pubwatch members meet once every six weeks to discuss customer safety and other issues.

Ms Paphitis added she thought Oxford pubs were faring fairly well in the economic downturn.

She cited the strength of the euro against the pound for foreign visitors to the city.

ghamilton@oxfordmail.co.uk