We’ve heard of unruly guests being thrown out of their local pubs after tossing back one too many pints. But being banned from a pub by a town council due to zoning by-laws?
Not making sense yet? Here’s the gist of it.
In the English village of Cockington, in Devon, the elderly Mayor passed away and his replacement is a pony named Patrick. Yes, the Shetland pony is currently Mayor of Cockington. Patrick is a local sensation, a therapy pony, and social media star (check out his Facebook group here) and the pony is frequently a guest at The Drum Inn, where he is often seen grazing in what the owner calls an “interaction pen”, which is really the garden.
But according to press reports, including from The Guardian , “The local council decreed that the pen required planning permission and had to be taken down. In addition, for Patrick to continue visiting the pub, the area would need to be reclassified from “garden” to “official grazing land.”
The offending pony pen. (The Adventures Of Patrick The Pony Facebook Group photo)
Patrick’s owners, Kirk and Hannah Petrakis, told another media outlet, “Patrick is not going anywhere. He is still a mayor in many people’s eyes – even the local MP’s eyes! We will carry on for the moment, just going into schools, hospitals and intensive care units.”
Stay tuned for updates to this developing story.
More from News:
