A man has claimed Metropolitan Police officers threatened him at a west London pub after he posted videos on social media criticising a Green councillor over a controversial riverside drinking ban.
Alastair Hilton, a photographer, was enjoying a drink with a friend at the Bell & Crown in Chiswick on Thursday evening when uniformed officers requested he step outside for a conversation.
The police wanted to discuss his posts on X regarding an ongoing dispute about outdoor seating at local pubs, despite acknowledging that Hilton had not broken any laws.
The incident follows a row in which Hounslow Council, controlled by Labour, instructed three riverside establishments to remove their outdoor seating, prompting a backlash from regulars.
The Bull’s Head, The City Barge and The Bell & Crown were all told by council officials to take away their seating from the river path while an investigation took place.
Pub landlords said they were informed by council officers that a single referral had obligated them to launch the inquiry into the seating arrangements.
Multiple locals and bar staff have pointed the finger at Rick Rowe, a Green Party councillor, though he has denied requesting the removal of outdoor seating.
Regulars at the three affected pubs mounted a demonstration against the Labour-run authority earlier this week in response to the threatened ban on riverside drinking.
Staff at The Bell & Crown expressed relief over a resolution being reached with Hounslow Council | GOOGLE STREET VIEW
Following the public outcry, the council reversed its position on the matter.
Mr Hilton had shared several videos on X showing him walking around the Chiswick riverside and discussing the seating controversy.
“I’ve just gone to the City Barge and they’ve got no outside seating, apparently they’re going to see sense and change it. But every minute that pub doesn’t have outside seating is a minute too long,” he said in one clip.
Officers accused the photographer of livestreaming near Mr Rowe’s residence, an allegation Mr Hilton firmly rejected, insisting no such property appeared in any of his footage.
Hounslow Council has come to a resolution
|
GOOGLE MAPSHe also denied police suggestions that he had been involved in arranging any demonstration near the councillor’s home.
Video footage shows two uniformed officers questioning Hilton on the riverside path, informing him about legislation prohibiting protests outside councillors’ residences.
“It’s so you’re aware, as opposed to an insinuation or accusation – are you aware that if you schedule a protest outside a councillor’s house that’s an offence?” one officer asked.
When Hilton stated “You’re threatening me” during the exchange, the officer responded: “I’m not threatening you at all. I’m giving you advice.”
Hilton countered: “You turn up in two police uniforms, that’s a threat,” describing the encounter as “really quite scary.”
The Bull’s Head in Chiswick was one of the pubs targeted
Speaking to The Telegraph, he said: “It’s all very wrong, very, very wrong. The police walking into a pub in full uniform, 100 people inside and out can see me and they think, you know, he’s done something wrong. But the police admitted I hadn’t.”
The photographer, who says he understands the law around taking images, insisted he would never reveal anyone’s home address online.
The police approach appears linked to Operation Ford, a Labour-introduced programme launched in March last year under Dan Jarvis, then security minister. The initiative directs forces to treat allegations of intimidation against elected officials with particular seriousness.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman confirmed that officers received a report from an elected official at 5.01pm on Thursday regarding malicious communications, harassment and public order concerns.
Scotland Yard has launched an investigation | PA
A Met Police spokesman said: “Local officers from the borough, following advice from the Met’s Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection unit, spoke informally to an individual about the matter.
“They were advised about new legislation, Section 162 of the Crime and Policing Act 2026, which outlines the offence of protesting outside or in the vicinity of the home of a public office holder. The individual is not the subject of an investigation and was not arrested.
“Reports relating to potential threats, harassment or activity near a public office holder’s home are assessed on a case-by-case basis, with appropriate advice and safeguarding measures implemented as required.”
Mr Rowe said on Wednesday: “I did not ask for outdoor seating to be removed, for pubs to be penalised or for the council to take enforcement action.”
A Green Party spokesman told The Telegraph: “The decision-making around enforcement of licensing conditions sits with the Labour run Hounslow Council.
“Councillor Rowe had no part in the temporary removal of outdoor seating from these pubs, and has worked hard to ensure the Council engages constructively with businesses to ensure everyone can access the riverside seating safely.”