HUNDREDS of people have come to the defence of a Monmouthshire pub facing calls to tear down its long-standing children’s play area.

The Coach and Horses Inn has been forced to apply for retrospective planning permission for play equipment which has stood in Caerwent for nearly 30 years.

Several neighbours have opposed the presence of the park, which they say is out of keeping with the area and attracts unwanted noise and litter.

But landlord Nick Isaac said losing the ‘family garden’ would turn families away and leave the pub with an uncertain future.

“We really need the play park and beer garden in the summer months to keep us financially afloat, said Mr Isaac, who runs the pub alongside his wife Kate.

“The park’s been around since the early 1990s, and I remember parts of the equipment being there when I was a child, and I’m 41 now.

“If we were to lose it, the pub would suffer severely.”

Monmouthshire County Council had asked the landlords to apply for planning permission for its equipment having removed a bouncy castle following complaints.

The application submitted last year drew four objections from people living near the pub, which dates to the 17th century.

One objector said: “This application should be for change of use from public house to children’s’ playground that sells alcohol.”

It has also been claimed that there has been a significant increase in “screaming children” as more equipment has been added to the park.

Others say the colourful equipment, which includes a dinosaur slide and tree swing, looks like a “fairground” and is out of place next to the Roman wall which borders part of the site.

The pub’s owners turned to social media for support, and a post on their Facebook page received around 37,000 views and has been shared more than 300 times since June 18.

More than 500 positive comments praising the pub and its play area have also been left on the planning application.

Mr Isaac said: “The post has just gone viral, and we’ve had support from all over. It’s amazing.”

The application will go before Monmouthshire County Council’s planning committee on August 6.