Reading pub at centre of violent attacks temporarily closes

A pub in Reading has taken the decision to temporarily close after two violent attacks in the space of a week.

Thames Valley Police are investigating two serious assaults that happened either near or inside the The White Eagle pub in Oxford Road, West Reading.

A man was left in critical condition in hospital after being attacked on Saturday, September 9, which led to The White Eagle being cordoned off as part of a police investigation the following Wednesday.

The pub was shut off again after an attack where a man in his thirties suffered facial injuries and was treated in hospital.

Police attended an incident at around 1.15am on Saturday, September 16, with the pub being seen cordoned off during the day.

Now the pub has temporarily closed to conduct upgrades and training.

In a statement on Facebook, the managers said:

“In light of recent incidents, the management have taken the decision to voluntarily close The White Eagle Pub for upgrades and further staff training.

“Apologies in advance for the inconvenience.

“We look forward to welcoming you back soon.”

A spokesperson for Reading Borough council said:

“The council’s licensing team are obviously aware of the reported incidents.

“Our Thames Valley Police colleagues are treating it as a current and ongoing investigation and the council awaits those outcomes before any decision on a potential review would be considered.”

There was also a brawl reported at the pub in September last year.

Back in 2016, The White Eagle was subject to a licence review hearing.

The pub operators retained the licence to sell alcohol and hold live music events as long as they followed a number of conditions.

These conditions included the introduction of CCTV, the introduction of an incident book to track events, and a policy to prevent drug use at the pub.

That licensing hearing was triggered after a serious incident in May 2014 and a serious incident involving 20 people in November 2015.

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.