THE licensee of a Newport pub has been suspended after “disgraceful” recordings of loud music being played into the early hours emerged at a licensing review hearing.

Licensing officers said that Ciprian Florin Novac, the designated premises supervisor at The Picton Arms, had shown a “blatant disregard” to prior warnings about late-night disturbances.

The pub in Commercial Road is permitted to play recorded music from 8.30pm to 1am from Monday to Saturday, and 8.30pm to midnight on Sundays.

But Newport City Council’s licensing subcommittee heard evidence that such restrictions had been breached on three separate occasions.

A member of the public living adjacent to the building had used the council’s Noise App to record music being played at 2.28am and 2.32am on Saturday March 17.

Another recording on Saturday April 21 showed music was being played as late as 3.53am.

Brian Miles, pollution control officer with the council’s environmental health department, said: “The recordings come from the bedroom of someone living in the same block of buildings.

“You can feel the bass and how the structure is being affected by it. This is when people are going to work, and it is affecting young children as well.”

During this period Mr Novac was sent an enforcement letter having taken over as the designated premises supervisor on February 19.

An abatement notice was served on March 20 requiring the licensee the adequately control the volume of music coming from the Picton Arms.

But following further Noise app recordings, licensing officers applied for a review of the premises licence on April 25.

Mr Novac disputed the recordings made on April 21 but claimed that much of the disturbance had been caused by a former business partner.

“The recordings are true but [the ex-business partner] has been causing me problems and playing music late,” he said on Monday.

“I want one chance to show I will go straight. I have a family and I don’t want any more problems.”

The subcommittee accepted the accuracy of all three noise recordings and suspended Mr Novac’s licence for a period of 10 days having failed to fulfil licensing objectives.

This means that the pub will be unable to open following a 21-day appeal period.

Labour councillor Graham Berry said: “I’m not happy sinking you but your name is on the licence. The noise recordings we’ve heard are disgraceful."