Baseball bat-wielding mayhem at Arundel pub

The incident happened just after 1pm. The 43-year-old from Felpham demanded to see the manager, who was not there, and he threatened bar staff.

He then smashed a total of 14 windows, as well as some of the pumps on the bar, before making off in a van towards Bognor, where he was later arrested by police.

Witnesses in the nearby Eagle pub said the man had come in drunk at just before 1pm, shouting that he was going to smash up the King's Arms.

They could see the carving knife sticking out of his trousers.

Police believe the incident stemmed from an earlier domestic dispute involving the man and his former girlfriend, who was in the King's Arms at the time.

The man had already been barred from the pub because of bad behaviour in the past.

Police said that when officers caught up with him in Bognor, he resisted arrest and tried to grab a pick-axe handle from his van.

The pub's manager, Charlie Malcomson, told the Gazette that in his 11 years at the pub, this was the first time he had called the police.

He said: "I am frustrated that officers didn't arrive until five hours later, but they said they had come as soon as we called and had seen the man in his van and chased him.

"I really can't believe it happened. I was down the road at the time but someone came to get me. Thankfully, there weren't many people in the pub when it happened and no one was hurt, but those who were here were terrified."

Insp Mark Hammond, of Littlehampton police, said his officers had been deployed four minutes after the initial 999 call was made and defended their decision to pursue the suspect rather than go straight to the pub.

The windows were boarded up shortly after the attack and the pub remained open. The damage is likely to cost thousands of pounds to put right.

A man has been charged with criminal damage, dangerous driving, failing to provide a specimen of breath, affray and possession of an offensive weapon.

He appeared at Chichester Magistrates' Court on Monday and was bailed to return on June 4, on condition that he doesn't enter the residential area of Arundel.