Thanet Times, Tuesday 31 May 1977.

Publicans withdraw pleas for extension.

TWO publicans in Margate's old town centre withdrew applications at Margate Court on Wednesday for licensing extensions to open their premises during the afternoon of 6 June.

They were licensees of the "Ruby Lounge" and the "Queen's Head" hotels.

Parties for the young and elderly to celebrate the Queen's Silver Jubilee are planned in the square during the afternoon.

The bench also turned down an application by the landlord of the "Crown and Sceptre" at Acol for a Jubilee day extension to coincide with an afternoon fete and carnival being held on a field opposite his public house.

Thanet Times, Tuesday 14 June 1977.

Angry pub landlords in talks on beer shortage.

AS beer supplies in Thanet dry up in the strike by Whitbread-Fremlln's draymen, the tenants of 330 public houses in east Kent are to hold a mass meeting at the "Granville Hotel," Ramsgate, this (Tuesday) afternoon.

Manager of the Margate sea-front "Cinque Ports" pub, Mr. Godfrey Watkins, estimated that takings were already down by about £4,000.

He said the pub had beer well stocked up with bottled beers, but supplies were dwindling fast. He could not predict how much longer he could stay open.

"I will stay open until the last bottle goes." he said, adding: "I usually have five bars open, but now I have only one."

The "Duke of York," in Addington Street, Ramsgate, run by Mr. Joe Strand, had to close on Tuesday — Jubilee night — because they had run out of draught beer.

"We are now buying where and when we can," he said.

Mr. Pat Cross, of the "Hope and Anchor," Margate, who is vice-president of Thanet Licensed Victuallers Association, said that today's mass meeting of tenants was being called to seek compensation from the brewers for loss of trade.

Landlord of the "New Inn," New Street, Margate, Mr. Ron Grantham, said: "Our trade has been hit drastically and the losses for pubs in Thanet must run into hundreds of thousands of pounds. It may be very difficult for some smaller pubs to survive this blow."

Mrs. Enid Howard, landlady of the "Sun Inn," St. Nicholas, said:- "We are extremely angry. The brewery has broken its agreement."

East Kent Times and Mail, Friday 24 June 1977.

Beer is on Tap Again.

The dispute of the Whitbread Fremlins depot at Ashford which has cut off beer supplies to pubs in Thanet is over.

A peace formula was worked out between the delivery men and the management on Wednesday but the details have not been disclosed.

The month-long dispute over the use of contract lorries hit 350 pubs in East Kent and a number have run dry of draught beer.

Most landlords in Thanet have been able to keep the beer flowing with a variety of brews obtained by devious means.

The draymen were back at work yesterday but it will be some days before the beer is back in the pumps of all the pubs.