Saturday February 21st 2026
Royal British Legion Club, Kelso
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
A Borders Royal British Legion club has had to spend a “considerable amount of money” on security after customers raised the wrath of neighbours by urinating in their gardens, councillors have been informed.
Neighbours became fed-up with customers at the club on Kelso’s Roxburgh Street using a rear fire exit door to go for a smoke and then urinate into their gardens located below.
At a meeting of Scottish Borders Council’s Licensing Board on Friday, February 20, it was agreed that restrictions are imposed at the club after the complaints.
A formal curfew has been imposed so no customers are allowed to use the rear door after 10pm.
There will be two exceptions to the curfew for vital money-generating events – during Civic Week and a scooter rally.
Those exceptions have been agreed by the residents who complained.
The club’s bar manager Paul Black said: “We’ve made huge efforts to try and comply with the 10pm curfew when it was informal, unfortunately there has been the odd incident and public urination is not something we condone at all and if we had knowledge who was doing that they wouldn’t be welcomed back into the club anyway.
“We have spent a considerable amount of money on SIA stewards over the last few months which has taken a business impact on us as-well.
“It’s trying to find a balance between the money we spend on policing this and keeping the club running because it is one of the very few in the Borders.
“We have done a lot of trial and error, some has worked some has not. We’re happy for this to formally be put on the licence.”
Licensing Board member Fay Sinclair commended the operators, the licensing officers and the neighbours for working together to come up with a solution to the issue.
She said: “I think it is really good to see some compromise and understanding from neighbours that this is a busy place that people want to visit but also considering how do we all live alongside each other in a way that is going to work for everyone.
“I think this solution will get us towards that and it will obviously be monitored going forward but I’m pleased that the applicants are happy to make this adjustment for the benefit of the local residents.”
Licensing officers were contacted in October last year by two residents living beside the club.
They complained that since the summer of 2025 customers at the premises were using the rear door to exit and smoke, causing excessive noise which disturbed them and on some occasions were seen urinating in both their gardens.
One neighbour showed officers numerous CCTV recordings from July 2025 demonstrating the level of anti-social behaviour late at night, including persons urinating on the footpath, over the fence into the neighbours’ garden below.
As a result of these recordings, an informal agreement was reached that the club would not use the rear door for customers smoking after 10pm.
But in January there were further complaints that the rear door was still being accessed after the agreed curfew.
As a result the formal changes to the club’s premises licence have been agreed by the Licensing Board.
Tweet
Share on Facebook
Support Midlothian View from as little as £1. It only takes a minute. Thank you.
Comments are closed.