PUBS in Saltash have banded together to form a Pub Watch scheme – in a bid to deter troublemakers from their bars.

Under the new scheme, which is backed by the police and has received a £200 boost from Caradon community safety forum, the pubs involved will warn each other of disruptive customers.

Their warnings will be sent through a 'cascade' system, so each pub is alerted in turn.

The scheme has been launched following a number of consultation meetings between licensees and police, members agreeing to support each other in an attempt to reduce the number of violent incidents in pubs.

Troublemakers banned from one pub will have the details of the incident they were involved in discussed at the next Pub Watch meeting. Members will then debate whether the ban will be extended to all participating premises.

Up-to-date lists of everyone who has been been banned will be regularly circulated between pubs, and close contact will be kept with the police community liaison officer.

Landlords taking part have been told the incident that prompts banning decisions does not necessarily have to result in the customer being arrested or prosecuted - but it has been recommended that if the incident was serious enough to call the police or consider banning, then a criminal prosecution should be considered.

The Pub Watch scheme will be put into action if a member of staff has been assaulted; a customer has been assaulted; premises have been damaged; drugs have been used or sold; or theft or deception has taken place.

Those wishing to have their ban lifted will have to write a formal request to Pub Watch, and the appeal will then be discussed at the next committee meeting.

The launch of the scheme took place on Monday morning at The Brunel pub in Saltash's Fore Street, run by Sheila and Ben Lennox-Boyd.

Also attending were Inspector Craig Downham of Devon and Cornwall police, Philip Henslowe the chairman of Caradon's community safety forum who presented the cheque, Tim and Jan Clayton of The Ploughboy, Jo Rogers of The Railway, Maria Ashurst of The Boatman, Janice Preston of The Two Bridges, Brian Pritchard of The Union Inn, and Donna and Windy Miller of The Rodney.

Those attending stressed the idea was to make life more enjoyable for their customers, by banning the disruptive element. Mr Henslowe said it was the sort of scheme that the community safety forum was keen to back.