OH BEER ‘It’s a time warp,’ say locals in village where alcohol is banned for strange reason & anyone caught has drinks poured

 Residents living in a village where alcohol is banned say it's like living in a "time trap", but they still love it there.

Liquor has been banned in the village for decades and it doesn't bother the locals as they have no problem "getting drunk and going out of pubs".

And if anyone was caught daring to take a tipple on the coveted green it was claimed that it would be taken away from them and flushed down the drain.

Welcome to the chocolate-box village of Bournville – made world famous by the chocolatier Cadbury family – and where locals are desperate to move despite premium house prices and hordes of tourists.

Situated in a prime location in the West Midlands, just four miles south-west of Birmingham city centre, it has everything you need except a pub or a liquor store.

But the ban on alcohol makes it even more attractive for most locals.

As Neil Harrison, 73, told The Sun Online during our visit this week: “People here don't mind not having a pub, it's an accepted thing and it makes it a more desirable place.

“We are not being thrown out because there are no local drinkers. You have to live with it and it is not a difficulty. It does not even enter the psyche.

“If you want drinks you invite a friend or neighbor over for a glass of wine at the house, or you catch the bus and go to a nearby village pub.”

"We all get along very well and it's a close-knit community. I've lived in and around this area for 40 years."

The Retirement Housing Association care leader lives alone in a rented OAP bungalow, with stunning communal gardens and an orchard, which was once the former home of one of the Cadbury empire's employees.

He said: “Here it's like going back in time.

"The charming little village was created by John Cadbury's sons George and Richard Cadbury as a model community for the Cadbury family."

Quaker heritage

But alcohol is banned due to his teetotal Quaker heritage and beliefs.

Neil, who enjoys a drink at his local pub, the Selly Park Tavern, said: “|They have been regulars there for years.

“Even if there was a pub in Bournville I wouldn't go there because I get the bus, or if I have a bus I drive my local.

“I go to socializing and all my friends are there.”

He said the village being a prohibition zone makes it more attractive and there is "hardly any crime."

strange rules

He explained how the Bournville Trust “sets the standards – no pubs, no bins or caravans in your front garden and no painting your front door bright pink. Everyone follows those standards.”

Colin, a volunteer at the Bournville Carillon Visitor Centre, said: “Yes, there is a ban on alcohol here but most people are not worried about it. It has been the rule for the last 120 years.

“If you want alcohol you can't get it here within the village limits, but there are no restrictions on consuming it at home.”

He claimed: “Anyone seen drinking outside in the greenery or on the road will have their drink taken down the drain.

“They cannot be arrested, it is not a crime, but in the worst case the liquor can be taken away from them.

“In the past some underage people have been stopped from drinking beer on celebratory days.

"Most people realize what a village is and they don't violate the rules."

A spokesperson for the Village Trust told The Sun Online it has no authority to take away or take away alcohol from people drinking in public places, including the Village Green.

Any restrictions on the Village Green will be managed and enforced by West Midlands Police and the City Council.

The retired railway electro-mechanic, who declined to be named, lives a half-hour bus journey away and enjoys coming to work.

He said: "It's a delightful, very exclusive place and like most people I would like to live here, but I could never afford it."

There's a £50-60,000 premium on any property here, just because it's on Bournville.

A small house on the outskirts costing £250,000 would cost £310,000 here.

A lot of retired people live here but there are also some families.

Fellows Visitor Center volunteer Sharon Fall said: “Alcohol restrictions are the same as ever and there are plenty of pubs just outside the village.

“We've got the best of both worlds – there's a drink ban here, so it's always peaceful and hassle-free and there are good cocktail bars and wine bars on the outskirts.

“It's one of the many traditions here, you're not allowed to do this or that.

“Things like no drinking in public as well as no satellite dishes in front of houses and no PVC window frames.

“Advertising is also banned and is only allowed on passing buses.”

Sharon, a jewelery maker who lives in a nearby village, said: "It's just the way it is here, things haven't changed and people like it that way."

He explained how many local people still work in the huge Cadbury factory and Cadbury World visitor attraction while explaining the history and family history of chocolate making.

He said: "George Cadbury looked after his employees, he gave them a house to live in and a garden to plant fruit and vegetables."

Pointing out the back window of the visitor centre, she said: “Look, there’s a bronze statue of him in the Quaker Meeting House over there.

“Quakers believe in equality, community and simplicity for all.

“I'm lucky to work here, it's a lovely place.”

Lee Howard, assistant manager of the Kafenian Café, told The Sun Online: "We get people who are not local and ask for a beer or a fizz or a glass of wine, but when we put them in the picture and explain that there are restrictions on alcohol they If so, they accept it and are not disappointed.

“From a business perspective it would be great if we could get a license and sell alcohol but we know that will never happen.”

Lee said: “The general consensus in the village is that no one wants to sell or drink alcohol here.

“This is a Quaker village and that's the tradition here. Even when a shop just outside the boundary applied for a license to sell liquor several years ago, there was a lot of opposition.”

He told how his café – at the end of a row of independent shops including a butcher and a baker – had been booming since the Covid lockdown and that a new group of people out for permitted walks had discovered the delightful area .

Local mum Tab Jackson, walking with her 13-month-old daughter, said: “It's a really lovely village and it's not a problem that you can't get a drink here.

“I like the odd glass of wine and go to nearby Stirchley which is full of bars, pubs and restaurants.”

Resident Chris, who grew up in the village, said: "I don't miss not having a pub here because you can walk 10 minutes to the nearest pub," and joked: "Then you can go back drunk Are!"

Chris, who declined to give his surname, said alcohol was still off the agenda even during special outdoor events such as summer festivals and Christmas carol concerts.

Resident Sarah-Jayne McLachlan said: “It's great that the village has remained as the Cadbury family wanted it to be and it should be one of the few places in the country that has retained its unique heritage.

“You can't drink in public here – of course you can at home – but no one misses it.

“I don't know anyone who is very upset by the ban.

"It's not too far to go for a drink somewhere 10 minutes away."

The teacher, who was enjoying a walk with her daughter Molly, 11, enthused: “It's a lovely village, full of good schools and facilities.

“There are beautiful summer festivals but no alcohol.

“I've lived here all my life and feel lucky to live here. Nowadays people are becoming more aware of Bournville and the legacy of George Cadbury.

“This is a popular village and the local cafes are always crowded.

“Students from Birmingham are also coming this way because it's a bit more savvy and a nice place to have a coffee.”

Sarah-Jayne said that while Bournville was "not changing" the surrounding area was being regenerated with the neighboring village of Stirchley full of bars and micro breweries.

She said: “It is a conservation area so it is not being developed but prices are high because it is a preferred area to live.

“There is a mix of social housing, so there is something for everyone, which is part of the Bournville contract.”

Visitor Janet from Gloucester said she "knew the village was alcohol-free because of its Quaker heritage" and this did not stop her visiting with her friend Sue from Oswestry.

Sue said: “We'll go for drinks afterwards and I'm sure we'll find some places outside Bournville.”

Chocolate giant Cadbury – which started as a small shop selling tea, coffee and hot chocolate – is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year.

Widower Neil said: “It's a very beautiful, safe and peaceful place to live and we don't have drunk people outside the pub.