A Hereford Thai restaurant has been granted a licence to stay open and serve alcohol until 2am seven days a week, despite neighbours’ concerns over possible late-night disorder.

Owner Kritsakorn “Kris” Tangjaritsakul had sought to extend the licence of The Bridge Thai Street Food of 7 Bridge Street, between the city’s cathedral and the Old Bridge, which opened in January last year.

With four public objections claiming noise and nuisance were already a problem at the restaurant, his application was passed to Herefordshire Council’s licensing subcommittee to decide.

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Mr Tangjaritsakul’s agent, licensing consultant Nick Semper, said Thai restaurants “are not fast food, do not attract anti-social behaviour, and this one closes before the nightclubs empty”.

There had been no issues raised with authorities since it opened in January last year or indeed since it began serving alcohol till 2am at weekends since mid-August under temporary licences, Mr Semper said.

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There was “not a shred of empirical evidence” among views submitted “which challenges or even references the operating schedule”, nor had police or council officials made representations regarding the proposed change, he added.

Three of the four individual objections made were “anonymous, and near-carbon copies of each other”, and he challenged the claim in the fourth that the Bridge Street area was predominantly residential and offices.

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“There is no evidence of public nuisance, crime or disorder or any other cause for concern from this premises or this applicant,” he said.

With no objections put to the subcommittee, it agreed to grant the restaurant’s application for a late-night licence subject to conditions covering CCTV, age verification, staff training, record keeping.

Its chair Coun Polly Andrews said the committee “recognises concerns put by local residents and reasons for them”, but also the fact that Bridge Thai Street Food had already operated under the proposed conditions for six weeks “without problems”.