A DEVASTATED former Worcester pub landlord says his life has been turned upside down after witnessing a fight at the Bush Inn - revealing how he's been made "unemployed and homeless".

John Rowan, 64, says he's been left "disgusted" at his treatment after he lost his livelihood when the pub was suddenly closed last month.

As your Worcester News revealed earlier this week, after seven people got involved in a fight at the premises in April, West Mercia Police moved to shut it down.

During a city council licensing sub-committee hearing on Tuesday, it was decided to allow it to re-open on the condition that Mr Rowan be removed from the role as landlord.

During the hearing, which Mr Rowan was not invited to, officers said he appeared "in drink" on the night and did nothing to stop the fight.

But Mr Rowan says he has been left shocked at his treatment and has refuted the police statement.

"I feel like I've been hung, drawn and quartered over this, even criminals get tried by jury but I haven't even had that," he said.

"I'm disgusted at my treatment. I've ended up unemployed, homeless and with a massive financial loss, but I haven't done anything wrong."

He said before taking over the Bush Inn for nine months he ran the Sebright Arms for just over a year and another pub in Redditch for more than 12 years with no problems.

He also sunk £7,000 into the Bush Inn, where he lived, and was turfed out after the fight.

"When it all happened, it was all so quick - a girl got knocked over unconscious on the floor and my main concern was to get her an ambulance," he said.

"The poor girl could have died. The thing that really gets me is that we've lost our business, it's something we were very good at and we were turning it around."

After the fight, in the early hours of Sunday, April 26, three people were arrested and then bailed by police but nobody has been charged yet.

Mr Rowan said: "When the police turned up at the pub they even said to me 'you did the right thing staying behind the bar' when the fight was going on.

"My feelings are bordering on disgust."

He added that he called an ambulance straightaway for the injured woman.

Sergeant John Lawrence said: "We have a duty of care to protect the public from harm and this includes ensuring licensed premises support the licensing objectives, in order to prevent crime and disorder and deal with it appropriately should incidents arise.

"With regards to the Bush Inn, a number of factors of concern were taken into account.

"When officers attended the designated premises supervisor John Rowan claimed that the CCTV did not work - it transpired that the monitor had been turned off.

"Mr Rowan did not intervene during the disorder to prevent injury to members of the public and no-one from the premises contacted the police."