It’s crunch time for famous Mare Street hangout The Dolphin

The Dolphin in Mare Street. Photograph: Ella Jessel

A council meeting reviewing the licence of a 150-year-old pub in Hackney takes place tomorrow.

The fate of The Dolphin will be decided by committee members after Hackney police applied for a review of the venue’s licence in July owing to fears over crime and public safety.

According to police figures, between 2010 and 2013 a total of 160 crimes – 148 thefts, 11 assaults and one incident involving an imitation firearm – have been recorded at the Mare Street venue.

Councillors can decide on a range of measures from taking no further action to modifying existing conditions or revoking the pub’s licence.

In July pub manager Kay Underdown told the Hackney Citizen any tightening of The Dolphin’s licensed hours would be “disastrous” for the venue.

She said: “If its the late licence they take, that is pretty much the end of The Dolphin.”

An online petition calling for the pub to be saved has received 2,678 signatures to date and has attracted support from TV presenter Caroline Flack.

A spoof twitter account has accumulated more than 18,000 followers.

The committee meeting takes place at 2pm on 17 September at Hackney Town Hall in Mare Street.