MORE than a dozen yobs smashed up a York pub after being ordered to leave a city centre bar.

The gang caused hundreds of pounds worth of damage to the Red Lion in Merchantgate at around 4pm on Easter Sunday.

Tony Wasley, landlord of the Red Lion, said the gang of about 15 men was intent on provoking his staff.

“I was on a break when one of my staff pressed the warning bell. When I got to the bar I was told the gents’ toilets had been smashed,” he said.

“When I told the group we were closing and they would have to leave because of the damage they were very confrontational.”

When the gang was refused another drink they smashed a decorative window panel before leaving the pub.

A waste pipe and a motion sensor had been damaged in the toilets leaving electrical wires dangling from the ceiling.

This meant Mr Wasley had to close the pub at 5pm and lost out on between £500 and £1,000 takings, and order a plumber to make emergency repairs on Bank Holiday Monday at a cost of around £150 per hour.

Paul Gardener, owner of The Terrace sports bar in Fossgate, helped eject the gang from his premises shortly before the incident at the Red Lion.

“There were about 15 men in their 20s. They started pouring drinks over tables and one of them started spitting on the window,” he said. “It was totally unreasonable behaviour so the door supervisors told the ringleader to get out. Once he had gone the group bottled it and left. They were a disgrace.”

A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said the force was investigating the incident.