A member of Oxford City Council's licensing committee said he feels "threatened and intimidated" after being phoned up at home by a city centre landlord wanting to know why his pub had not been granted extended opening hours.

Alan Armitage was threatened by a pub landlord

Alan Armitage, a city and county councillor, was chairman of a three-member panel when the pub, which he does not want named, failed in its bid to open later than 11pm.

The revelation is proof that emotions continue to run high, with landlords desperate to increase their profits, while members of the public battle for peace and quiet.

Mr Armitage said: "I was rung by a landlord who had been angry at a decision I took.

"He spoke to me at great length and in a very threatening way.

"Eventually I put the phone down on him -- given that he was in my county council division I would not normally do that sort of thing, but I felt so uncomfortable that I was unable to listen.

"I felt threatened, intimidated and very uneasy. I understand that people do get emotional, but this was a case apart.

"People don't stand as councillors for a doddle -- it is a very onerous respon- sibility and difficult decisions have to be taken."

A pool of 15 city councillors is continuing to wade through hundreds of applications for variations to pub, bar and club licences ahead of changes to the Licensing Act, which come into effect in November.

From then, venues which have successfully applied for variations to their opening hours will be allowed to stay open later.

The most high-profile licensing case in Oxford so far has been the refusal of an alcohol licence for pub giant Regent Inns, which wanted to open a 900-capacity Walkabout bar on the corner of George Street and Worcester Street.

Licensing committee members agreed with police, who said resources would be stretched to breaking point if the venue was opened.

They also believed that drink-fuelled violence on the streets would be inevitable with so many drinkers.

Licensing committee chairman Tony Brett said: "It disappoints me that this has happened -- it's completely out of order because you don't go to court and phone up the judge or threaten them once a decision has been made.

"But I'm not surprised that people are getting so wound up about it.

"Nobody is being cut back on their opening hours, but no-one has a divine right to extend their hours -- if they did, we would not have any need for a licensing committee. So far, I think the process has gone well, because in most cases a compromise has been met."

Venues that have not applied for an all-embracing licence before the new act become law on November 24 will be forced to shut.

The council was unable to confirm the number of venues that had failed to apply for a new licence.

Fellow licensing committee member Ed Turner added: "Regardless of the decision, attacking the referee is not the way to go."