A NATIONWIDE pub chain has been fined more than £3,000 for breaching the rules at a Hatch End public house.

JD Wetherspoon was hauled before Harrow Magistrates yesterday after admitting the Moon and Sixpence pub, in Uxbridge Road, had been running without a designated premises supervisor (DPS).

The presence of a DPS is a condition laid on all pubs and bars in borough, ensuring there is a person in charge with the requisite training and experience to manage selling alcohol to customers.

At court, the Watford-based pub chain was handed a £3,300 fine and ordered to pay £3,800 costs for the breach.

Harrow Council said the conviction is a first for JD Wetherspoon across the country, and representatives of the firm blamed the breach on an administrative error, after the manager left and was not replaced.

The pub was rumbled after police officer investigating an incident asked to speak to the licensee and it transpired there was not one.

Councillor Phillip O’Dell, in charge of environment and community safety at the council, said after sentencing: “It’s essential that people with the right training and experience are in place to run licensed premises, and fulfill their duty of care to both customers and the wider community.”