Alert – Bailiff star of Channel 5’s Can’t Pay? We’ll Take It Away gets knock on his own door amid row over plans for his newly-bought pub

A bailiff star of Channel 5’s hit series Can’t Pay? We’ll Take It Away got a knock at his own door amid a row over plans for his newly-bought pub.

Paul Bohill – who appeared on the show between 2014 and 2018 – has been visited repeatedly as he tries to get The Plough Inn at Hollym, near Hull, back up and running alongside pal Andrew Ward.

But the community have banded together to help bring the battered boozer back to life a complainant has been in touch with the planning authority to urge them to investigate.

He claims staff working at the establishment have been quizzed about the toilet plans, doorways, outdoor tables, the pool table and the jukebox.

The enforcement agent even says he has had a complaint about people smoking outside the pub and they were visited by the police and health and safety officers.

The TV star was one of five original cast members in the series, which followed High Court Solutions as they execute writs against people who have failed to make repayments on alleged debts or refuse to vacate a property. 

Mr Bohill said: ‘We are not trying to bend rules and we understand why certain procedures are in place but we have been visited by almost every public body now.

‘Pubs are closing all over the country and we actually want to spend time and money to make this place a success and a community hub. 

‘Lesser people may have given up and shut the place down by now, after all of these visits.

‘We eventually want to have a commercial kitchen and serve food, we are registering The Plough Inn as a warm space providing free tea and coffee and we want the local rugby team to come in here after their games. 

‘It is getting worrying that somebody wants to see us fail.’

The pub’s previous owners of 20 years had only opened the boozer as little as once a week after an illness in the family and the building had fallen into a state of disrepair when the duo set their heart on bringing it back to life.

But they were facing a mammoth task- as it was usually very quiet and its lack of modern facilities meant the venue needed a lot of work in order to be a success.

Within a week, a group of village volunteers were over cleaning, painting and decorating the place. 

They urged the new owners to open as soon as they could, so one side of the bar is open, while the other side is still undergoing a revamp. 

Mr Bohill’s business partner has a campsite in the village and they plan to use the pub to cater for punters.   

The big changes are backed by many in the village, but they fear the complainant could halt progress.

Paul continued: ‘When we first looked at it, there was plaster falling off the walls, it was dirty and the toilets were horrendous. 

‘It had fallen into a state of disrepair, so we needed to completely refurbish the place.   

‘Through having a disabled friend, I know how important it is to make public spaces welcome to everyone and always ask, ‘how would this work for a disabled person?’

‘So while we were waiting for planning permission to build an extension for our original toilets, we needed to build a temporary emergency toilet block with disabled access. 

‘It is important to us that we can give people this facility as quickly as possible so we were advised we could get retrospective planning permission.

‘We had our own machines and materials ready and waiting and have built the footings for it. But this has not gone down well with a complainant.

‘We also found a covered doorway, which had been bricked up but was on the original plans, so we opened it up again because it was wide enough to fit a wheelchair through. Unfortunately, there were objections to this too.’

Although East Riding of Yorkshire Council can’t provide a detailed comment on an ongoing case, it confirmed a complaint has been made. 

Stephen Hunt, director of Director of Planning and Development Management at the council, said: ‘We have received a complaint about a potential breach of planning control and are currently investigating.’

Despite the persistent complaints, a large number of villagers are overjoyed to see the pub revived. Brian and Valerie Kellett, who have been married for 66 years, said: ‘We are delighted The Plough has reopened and is a hub for the community.

‘After seeing the loss of the post office, shop and school, this is an essential need for the village. As church members, we are looking forward to tea and coffee after church service and being able to use the facility for the harvest auction and quizzes.’

Ryan Kell, who runs the day-to-day operations of the pub, has liaised with residents about what they would like to see there. A woman from Hollym, who preferred not to be named, said: ‘As a small village, we are a close community and everyone looks out for each other.

‘The pub is a hub where people can get together, share problems and enjoy leisure time. We need our local pub to bring back village life as it was in years past. With Ryan intending to restart food, pool, darts and quiz nights, this is a future to look forward to.’

Hollym also has a fairly large elderly community and the idea of it becoming a warm space has appealed to a lot of people. Couple David and Sue Taylor praised The Plough for how it has already become an asset to the village.

‘I have spoken to my neighbours more today in the pub than I have in years,’ David said. ‘When we pass each other’s gardens, we have small talk but there is nothing like sitting down and having a proper conversation.

‘I hope Ryan and Paul don’t give up because having a local is great for the people that live here.’