By Hannah Peck

Drinkers at the Cricketers pub are being advised to bring their own alcohol as the pub has reopened without an alcohol licence.

RiverOnline reported last month that the popular student pub on Fairfield Road, had closed due to fraudulent activity.

Kingston Councillor Frank Thompson said: “The people who have been running the pub are desperate for it to re-open and their solicitor begged for us to let them trade with cash only.”

The pub closed on November 13^th and the manager and licensee Mr Charbel El Khoury  was arrested, after a substantial sum of money was found on the premises.

Mr El Khoury was arrested for fraud, but later granted bail until January so police can continue their investigations.

At a council committee meeting the manager’s solicitor asked for the Cricketers to be allowed to trade, but the councillors followed the police advice and maintained the suspended licence.

Ken Smith, a councillor at the committee meeting said: “Although Mr El Khoury has no previous convictions and has appealed many times, we are only likely to make decisions based on police advice, hence the licence is still suspended and the premises are still under investigation.”

The group who owns The Cricketers pub, Enterprise Inns, have been in charge since 2002 but declined to comment on the incident.