A LANDLORD who took over a village pub less than two months ago has agreed to give up the role after it emerged he beat up the landlady in a pub where he previously worked.

Tim Hill, 42, will continue to operate the Rising Sun, at Knapp, where he took over at the start of March, but will appoint someone else to act as landlord.

Mr Hill had been due to appear before Taunton Deane Borough Council's licensing sub-committee on Friday in a bid to keep his personal licence entitling him to run the pub.

But instead he voluntarily decided to surrender his licence today.

Mr Hill, of Fivehead, received a 16-week suspended prison sentence when he appeared in court and was ordered to pay a total of £450 and banned from the Halfway House pub at Guiting Power, Cheltenham, for assault by beating of the landlady there.

Avon and Somerset Police said they did not feel he is "a suitable person to hold a personal licence" due to his conviction for "a relevant offence".

In a letter to the council, Mr Hill said: "A build up of circumstances caused me to snap and use physical violence on another individual for the first time in my life.

"I sincerely regret my actions and can assure you that a) there will be no repeat behaviour and b) that I am perfectly fit to hold a personal licence to run a public house."

Councillors had been due to discuss whether to allow him to continue holding his personal licence, revoking it or suspending it for up to six months.

After he decided to surrender his licence, Mr Hill told the County Gazette: "I'll still work at the Rising Sun, but not as the manager or landlord.

"I'm not proud of what I did. I'm working very hard to come to terms with what I did.

"I want to carry on my life, run a good little pub and contribute value to the community.

"I'm putting all my effort into keeping the pub going.

"I'm not a danger to society or the public.

"In life we all make mistakes and you have to deal with the consequences. I've been through enough humiliation."