A Gravesend pub has caused a stir by banning swearing, and asking potty mouths who break the rules to leave.

The Rum Puncheon takes a dim view of coarse language - so much so that landlady and landlord Susan and Melvyn Wilkie reserve the right to rid their boozer of customers prone to effing and blinding.

Susan, 55, and Melvyn, 60, will not tolerate "unacceptable behaviour and/or loud use of bad language" at their pub in West Street.

And it's recently been causing a stir on social media, with customers taking to Facebook to make their views on the policy clear.

But Mr and Mrs Wilkie have mounted a strong defence of their policy.

Melvyn told News Shopper: "We get the odd group, perhaps people who haven't been in before, who say 'it's a pub, isn't it?' but then this is our place and our rules.

"If they don't like it they have the option to go elsewhere. It is a pub but it's also my home and it's licensed.

News Shopper:

Rum Puncheon landlord and landlady Melvyn and Susan Wilkie.

"I am allowing you to come and drink in my home and I have my rules - at your home you have your rules.

"Usually when you get swearing you have got trouble. If it's curtailed and it's nipped in the bud we don't get any trouble and that's why people come down to us because they don't get any trouble."

Susan, who lives above the pub with her husband, added: "We find that there are people who come out to the pub who are almost institutionalised because of the other places there are here.

"We wanted this to be a different place from the rest. I think it's brought a lot of people out of the woodwork - older people perhaps who don't want to hear that sort of stuff."

The rules

Dropping the 'C' bomb: Punters automatically asked to leave

Dropping the 'F' bomb: Punters automatically asked to leave

Sh*t, cr*p, b*llocks, b*stard, w**ker, pr*ck: Punters given a warning. Persistent use of these words can lead to ejection.

What the regulars think

News Shopper:

Thom Record, 78, of Marriotts Wharf, West Street, visits The Rum Puncheon most days.

He said: "I don't like it in my company or in this place.

"All my life I haven't liked places where swearing goes on."

News Shopper:

Colin Wright, 47, is an accountant from Gravesend who comes in around four days a week.

He said: "I can't understand why people need to swear to put forward a point.

"Here they ask you to leave if you continue to swear but if you decide to drink here you abide by their rules."

Reaction on Facebook 

John Loughlin: "I wish more pubs would follow their excellent example."

Deborah Coaten: "Good for her. More pubs should be the same."

Colin Manwaring: "Do they have a list of the words that are banned? Is bloody ok? I guess the F word and C word are out but can you say poo or smelly pants?"

Paula Cuffley: "It seems everywhere you go people think it's acceptable to swear in every day conversation, I honestly don't think they realise what they are doing and how horrible it sounds."

Helen Cox: "The problem is what one person accepts as swearing. Another may accept it as normal every day language, they really should have a list of swear words u can't use."