Family shattered by Harry's drugs furore

Mr Williams, 43, was forced to send his two young children into hiding after his pub, the Rattlebone Inn in Sherston, became the focus for the world's media.

He and his wife Emma, 27, have only been the licensees since October 12, moving from a pub near Stroud, in Gloucestershire.

The couple said the days after the royal drugs story broke have been a nightmare for them. "It has been like being a prisoner in your own cell," said Mr Williams.

The children were due to return home on Wednesday.

Mr Williams said: "Things seem to be getting back to normal, although there was a double-decker Sun bus driving up and down here today."

Prince Harry, 17, told his father that he began smoking cannabis after finishing his GCSEs at Eton last year, and experimented with drugs at the Rattlebone Inn.

At that time the licensee was Neil Coombes and the pub was owned by Smiles Brewery. The pub is now owned by Young's Brewery.

Police officers from Chippenham travelled to London yesterday to see the dossier compiled by The News of the World on Prince Harry's alleged drug taking and under-age drinking.

The officers were due to travel to Wapping, the newspaper's HQ, to speak to the reporter.

Supt Amanda Evely, of Chippenham police, said the dossier would be handed over, and police would decide whether to act on the information.

"We will then have to decide whether any of it is evidence against anyone, and if it is, then we will obviously act accordingly," said Supt Evely. "Until I have seen it I cannot say what the action is likely to be."

She said the problems with Prince Harry had given police in north Wiltshire an opportunity to highlight its work in preventing under-age drinking and drug taking.

"Since Sunday morning we have had the spotlight put on us in north Wiltshire, which was quite unexpected," said Supt Evely. "It has underlined some issues such as abuse of drugs, and under-age drinking, that we have been pretty pro-active with. I would not have wished this on Sherston or indeed on Prince Harry because none of this publicity can be helpful to any of them.

"But it has been an opportunity to talk about some of the important issues surrounding drugs and alcohol."

SA Brain and Co, which owns The Smoking Dog in Malmesbury High Street, has denied reports in The Sun on Tuesday that Prince Harry had been in the pub, watching local band, Nobody's Business.

"We have owned The Smoking Dog for three years and can categorically say he has never been there," said spokesman David Knowles.

The siege of Sherston

PUB landlord John Williams, whose family has got caught up in the Prince Harry drug confession furore, has spoken out about their ordeal.

Mr Williams, who took over the Rattlebone Inn in Sherston months after the prince's alleged drug taking sessions in the pub's cellar, is furious at the impact on his family.

Talking this week, he said they have felt like prisoners since stories about Prince Harry's confession on smoking cannabis and heavy drinking at the pub broke at the weekend.

Mr Williams, 43, and his wife, Emma, 27, have been invaded by the national press following the allegations in Sunday newspapers.

The 17-year-old Prince told his father that he begun smoking cannabis after finishing his GCSEs at Eton last year, and experimented with drugs at the Rattlebone Inn.

At that time the licensee was Neil Coombes and the pub was owned by Smiles Brewery.

Mr Williams and his wife have only been the licensees since October 12, moving from a pub near Stroud, in Gloucestershire. The pub is now owned by Young's Brewery.

"The first thing we knew about all of this was when two reporters came in on Saturday lunchtime asking questions, and we called the police to find out more," said Mr Williams.

The couple's children, an eight-year-old boy and seven-year-old girl, have been sent away to his parents to escape the media attention.

"It has been like being a prisoner in your own cell," said Mr Williams.

"From Saturday lunchtime the phone has not stopped ringing, but as employees of the company all we could say was no comment."

He said hoax callers have also rung the pub, asking for drugs.

"They weren't serious but it has all served to make the situation more terrifying," added Mr Williams.

But he said he and his wife have received terrific support from villagers.

Film crews descended on the pub at 5am on Sunday morning. The brewery brought in doormen, who were instructed not to let any reporters into the pub. They guarded the entrance from 9.30am to 11.30pm on Sunday, and one returned on Monday.

Mrs Williams said: "It has been very frightening because we know nothing about it. We have never served the prince, but he has never been barred."

Michael Hardman, the brewery's PR manager, travelled from London to hold a press conference at the pub on Monday.

He denied drugs were sold at the pub, and said the brewery was carrying out an investigation.

He said: "When Mr Coombes was the licensee, Prince Harry came in on a number of occasions.

"But I have been told that he was never served an alcoholic drink and was always impeccably behaved," said Mr Hardman.

"We do not tolerate, nor are we aware of after-hours drinking, or underage drinking, and we would not allow drugs to be sold here."

Roger Clements, the owner of Sherston post office, said villagers were taken aback by the media attention.

"Everyone has been very supportive of the pub. It is part of our community, but it is a desperate situation," said Mr Clements.

"We feel sorry for them, but this is not the drugs centre of the universe."

Martin Rea, vice-chairman of the parish council, said villagers had been aware Prince Harry visited the Rattlebone Inn last summer.

"But I knew nothing of drugs or under-age drinking.

"Everyone has been astounded by the amount of attention."

Quentin Williams, managing director of Smiles Brewery, said: "It was a long time ago and the manager left of his own free will.

"I was not aware of any of the alleged incidents during his time as the manager."

A spokesman for Wiltshire Police said it would consider acting on information about drug-taking at The Rattlebone .

"Whilst it would be inappropriate for the police to act on newspaper accounts which may not be corroborated and may even be sensationalised, we will of course consider and act, if appropriate, on any information provided," said the spokesman.

"We are awaiting the supply of information from a media outlet and will then assess its content."

County teenagers face the same temptations as Harry

TEENAGERS in Wiltshire have been found to be little different to Prince Harry after a survey showed almost half those questioned used cannabis and drank alcohol regularly.

The results of the first comprehensive study of young people in the Devizes area were released this week, at the same time that Prince Harry's alleged under age drinking and cannabis use at The Rattlebone Inn, Sherston, was reported in the national media.

The survey was undertaken to find out the extent of drug use and drinking of young people.

A total of 160 people aged between 12 and 25 took part in the confidential survey and 40 per cent of those said they took cannabis.

But while more than 70 per cent of those questioned had been offered, or knew where to obtain drugs, 60 per cent of them said they had never taken drugs.

Margaret Lamb, a Wiltshire County Council youth and community worker in Devizes, who was involved with the survey, said: "The revelations about Prince Harry are quite pertinent to our survey. It shows he faces the same temptations as many teenagers.

"In our survey many of those who responded said they do use both alcohol and cannabis."

The youngest people questioned who used drugs were 14, one of whom took drugs once a week, while two 14-year-olds said they took drugs once a month.

Sixty young people said they had taken cannabis, while 14 had used Ecstasy, 12 had used speed, eight had taken cocaine, six had used acid and three had used heroin.

On the use of alcohol the survey found that the majority of over 18s drink two to four times a week in pubs while most under 18s are drinking once a week.

A third of 15 to 17-year-olds prefer to drink outside in public places, while more claim to drink in pubs although the majority drink at home, which is not illegal.

The youngest person who took part in the survey was a 12-year-old who claimed to drink every day.

The most popular drink was a mix of drinks from beer, alcopops and cider. The questionnaire did not ask how much they drank.

Mrs Lamb said: "The objective of the survey was to get a snapshot of young people's use of alcohol and drugs and to address the gaps in knowledge.

"The results about drug use show that it is in line with national trends and confirms that what is happening in the Devizes community area reflects what is happening all over the country."

The survey also aimed to find out young people's knowledge about the health risks of using drugs and drinking.

It found that young people thought the maximum penalty for supplying Ecstasy was six months in prison, while it is, in fact, five years.

They also thought the main danger of drinking was alcohol poisoning but, in fact, the main health risk is having accidents while intoxicated.

A worrying finding of the survey was that a large number of under age drinkers claimed to buy alcohol from pubs, supermarkets and off licences.

Mrs Lamb said the organisations behind the survey Kennet Community Safety Partnership, Wiltshire County Council, KASH, Community First and Devizes Town Council would be looking into whether the introduction of a validate (proof of age) card could be introduced.

Those behind the project will put on a roadshow to educate young people about drugs and alcohol and will involve young people who have had drug and alcohol issues in their life.

Mrs Lamb said: "The provision of accurate information and open debate, which Prince Charles has highlighted and what we aim to do in the roadshow, will help young people to make more informed decisions."