A TERMINALLY ill licensee and his wife could face a race prosecution for asking Travellers to leave following a violent attack.

Brian and Norma Currie, managers of the Golden Lion, Frod-sham, have been warned by the Cheshire, Halton and Warrington Racial Equality Council that they could be prosecuted.

Mr Currie sustained a broken jaw and was knocked unconscious during the incident, in which beer was poured over Mrs Currie's head, a barmaid was punched in the face and a barman was attacked.

Customers asked to leave, included a group of Travellers who were regulars and Elton-based Traveller Andrew Lovell.

Lovell, 28, was ordered by magistrates to pay £3,500 compensation and given a suspended prison sentence for the attack on Mr Currie, who has liver cancer.

But Traveller Andrew Riley and two members of his family complained they had not been involved in the incident but had been asked to leave.

A Racial Equality Council letter pointed out: 'Although a licensee can refuse to serve people, they cannot do so on the basis of race.'

Mrs Currie said: 'We aren't racist, we just felt uncomfortable having them in the pub following the attack. We would have done the same with our darts team.'

samantha.parker@cheshirenews.co.uk