DOZENS of Inverclyde pubs and clubs are in danger of losing their licences because of their cavalier attitude towards paying fees.

Licensing bosses have revealed that 46 premises owe a total of £11,640 — and all of it should have been paid at the beginning of October.

Under the Licensing Fees Scotland Regulations, pubs and clubs are required by law to pay a licence fee each year to allow them to operate, and failure to do so can result in their licences being revoked.

Thursday’s Inverclyde Licensing Board will receive a report detailing the outstanding amounts for the year 2014-15.

A board official said: “Reminder letters have been issued advising that, if payment is not made, a review of the premises’ licence will be considered at an appropriate sitting of the licensing board.” The amount to be paid is determined by the rateable value of the premises. The figures owed range from £180 to £700.

Eight venues owe £180, while 18 have failed to pay the council £220.

A further 18 need to cough up £280, one owes £500 and another still has to pay £700. The premises have not been named.

This is not the first time the council has struggled to persuade pubs and clubs to pay their licences.

In February this year, the Tele reported that 15 premises still owed a combined amount of £3,760 for 2013-14. And in January 2013, we revealed that 46 local premises owed £11,420, which should have been settled by a deadline of the previous October. Licensing Board chairman, Councillor Ronnie Ahlfeld, pictured, has said he is ‘appalled’ at the level of unpaid fees.

The money from fees goes into the council’s bank account and covers the administration of licences to pubs and clubs across the district.

Councillor Ahlfeld added: “If premises decline to make the payments, their licences may be called into review.”