COUNTER-TERRORISM officers remain on scene at a closed pub in Herefordshire this afternoon.

Ledbury Reporter:

The Riverside Inn in Wye Street, Ross-on-Wye, which has been left standing empty for many years, has become one of the focuses of a counter-terrorism investigation launched by Counter Terrorism Policing South East.

Ledbury Reporter:

Ross-on-Wye town councillor Rob Taylor told the Hereford Times he had seen police at the pub last night (November 18), but that officers at the scene were not able to make any comment, except that the investigation was being led by police in Gloucestershire.

Ledbury Reporter:

Coun Taylor said there were two police vans at the pub when he passed.

Ledbury Reporter:

Today, two marked police cars and a self-drive hire-type van remain at the pub, where a search continues after the arrest of a 43-year-old man from Gloucestershire. Further searches are being carried out at three other properties in Gloucestershire, police confirmed.

Ledbury Reporter:

The pub, which enjoys stunning views of the Wye, has previously been the subject of enforcement action to remove rubbish from outside, and a number of planning applications have been made for the site over the years.

Two planning applications were refused - the first was to turn the pub into homes, and the second was to retain the pub but also build one two-bed home and two three-bed homes.

A further application to site a single-storey building to serve soft drinks outside the pub was approved by planners in November 2019.