BAR staff called the police when two warring groups of travellers started a mass brawl outside their pub.

Trouble started when 30 people were asked to leave the Chester Arms in Chester Street, off Iffley Road, Oxford, last night.

Once outside, the two separate factions began fighting. But the scrap was over before the police arrived.

Today, the pub's landlady, who asked not to be named, said travellers were now barred. She said: "I have no other option but to bar them after what happened.

"It is a hard decision to have to take because some of them have been my best customers.""This could be a fantastic little community pub but it needs the support of the local residents.

"We were willing to spend lots of money to do the place up but when something like this happens it hardly seems worth it."

Police made no arrests last night but were today investigating the brawl. A spokesman said: "This appears to have been a row between two different sets of travellers which erupted into minor violence.

"Even though there was a lot of broken glass in the street there were no injuries and things calmed down quickly."

He said a number of statements were taken but no complaints were made about violent behaviour.

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