Eileen Stanley, who runs The Welsh Harp on Prince of Wales Avenue in Flint with her husband Les, wanted to change a restriction on her licence which means a side fire exit has to stay closed except for emergencies.

Mrs Stanley told Flintshire's Licensing Committee on Monday that by opening this door, families were able to let their children play outside where they can see them, instead of at the front where the road is.

But there have been strong objections by nearby residents to her request to have the door open because of the disturbance caused by noise.

Mrs Stanley said: "Last year when I had to shut the beer garden, I lost thousands of pounds.

"I don't want to upset my neighbours, I just want to get on with my life and make a living."

Mr Stanley said he had been to see the objectors to discuss the issue and had triple glazing put in.

Cllr Patrick Heesom spoke on behalf of the residents who said they were affected by the noise.

He said the pub is in a residential area and residents should not have to live with the noise coming out of the doors, which he said was causing "public disturbance."

He also said the pub needed to resolve the issues caused by the smoking ban and the need for a smoking shelter.

Chair of the committee, Cllr Bernie Attridge, said: "The committee has decided to reject the application before us.

"We accept that there is a public nuisance with regards to the fire door being open.

"You are in breach of regulations and we will be asking officers to monitor the situation."

As well as the letters of objection, there were also a number of them expressing strong support for the pub's application.