"Fresh chapter," say new bosses at troubled Doncaster pub

Officers were called to The Newton Arms in Sprotbrough on Monday – and the pub was closed following the incident.

But the Sprotbrough Road bar is now under its third set of managers in a matter of weeks – with the latest bosses pledging to put the incidents behind them and to move forward.

A spokesperson said in a Facebook post: “A fresh chapter at The Newton Arms.

"We know there’s been a lot of noise online recently, and we want to set the record straight.

“We’ve welcomed a brand new manager.

“The food coming out of our kitchen is fresh, high-quality, and already getting brilliant feedback.

“Guests who’ve joined us have said how happy they are to see the pub buzzing again.

“We completely understand if you’ve read things online that made you think twice about booking.

"But trust us when we say: what you might have read is not the experience you’ll get here now.

"The Newton Arms is back to being the warm, welcoming, family-friendly pub it should be, and we’re only getting better from here.

“So, if you’ve got a booking, stick with us. Come down, try us out, and see the difference for yourself. We promise you won’t regret it.”

WJS, which runs the bar, confirmed that a new management team has now been installed – only a month after new bosses were first installed.

A South Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: “Around 10.30am on Monday 18 August we were called to reports of a disturbance in Sprotbrough Road, Doncaster.

“Officers attended and a public order offence was recorded.

"Enquiries are ongoing.”

Last month, the new bosses promised “new beginnings and great times ahead” after taking charge.

Long-standing managers Craig and Karen Davis, who had been in charge at The Newton Arms in Sprotbrough for a decade, announced their departure in mid–July

A social media post announced: “Hello from the new team at The Newton Arms!

“I’m Carly and I’m excited to be one of the new faces behind the bar as we take over as the new operators.

“We can’t wait to make this a great community pub, a proper place to relax, have a laugh, and enjoy some good food and drink.

We’re keeping some of your favourites going, including the Sunday carvery, pie night every Monday, a poker night on Wednesdays and a pub quiz on Thursdays.

“We’d love for you to pop in and say hello. Here’s to new beginnings and great times ahead at the Newton Arms.”

Last month, Mr and Mrs Davis said: “We’ve been asked many times over the last few weeks why we are leaving and the simple fact is as single operators it is just too expensive for us to continue.

“The company who are coming in to run The Newton are WJS Pubs - they run over 30 pubs and are able to negotiate much better (cheaper) deals on things like rent, utilities, food, drinks, Sky etc which make a massive difference to the bottom line of a business.

"The minimum wage has increased dramatically too as have National Insurance contributions.

“We have never skimped on staff to provide customer service, so this is a cost we’ve also had to absorb.

“We’d like to leave on a happy note though and thank you all for the fantastic support you’ve shown The Newton, us and our family over ten amazing years, for supporting us through lockdown and from the moment we started.

“We would also like to thank all the amazing staff teams that have worked with us over the years – you have helped us make the pub what it is today.

“We wish the new operators all the best and will always hold The Newton and you guys dear in our hearts….so until we meet again. Thank you and goodbye.”

Reacting to the news of the new managers’ departure, one customer said: "New landlords are leaving the Newton now and packing up – that didn’t last long.”

Another said: “Jeezus, how long was it – bout one month?”

There were also complaints about the quality of the pub’s Sunday carvery with one saying dinners had gone “downhill” since the takeover.