Two Metropolitan Police officers tracked a photographer to a pub after he posted critical tweets about a local Green councillor, even as they acknowledged he had not committed a crime.
Alastair Hilton was drinking with a friend in Chiswick, west London, on Thursday evening when uniformed officers arrived and questioned him about comments he had made on social media.
Mr Hilton said he feared he could be arrested when the two officers asked him to step outside. At the time, he had been marking what he described as a community victory over the Labour-run council after outdoor seating was saved outside three popular riverside pubs on the Thames.
The encounter comes amid continuing debate in the UK over claims of “two-tier policing.” During the exchange, an angry Mr Hilton told the officers that his daughter had recently endured an attempted burglary while she slept, but claimed police had declined to attend.
By contrast, he said, the Met had sent officers to find him in a pub and challenge him over tweets, despite accepting that no offence had taken place.
At one stage, one of the officers read out the harassment legislation under which Scotland Yard could arrest him if his conduct were deemed to cross a legal threshold.
Mr Hilton later said: “They admit on video that I did not break the law at all. They came to threaten me. To warn me off tweeting about councillors and the council. This is modern Britain. This is the police state. Police coming out to threaten someone who hasn’t committed a crime. I’m fuming.”
The episode has added to concerns among critics who argue that police are increasingly becoming involved in disputes touching on free speech.
James May, the Top Gear and The Grand Tour star who lives in west London, tweeted Mr Hilton last night: ‘I’m genuinely interested to know if you’ve woken up in the gulag. Bang on the pipes if you need us to batter the door down with a pub bench.’
The moment two police officers tracked a photographer to a pub and took him outside to warn him about his tweets, despite admitting no crime had been committed
The police officer read him the legislation he would be arrested under during the extraordinary exchange
Mr Hilton filmed himself this morning expressing his disbelief that police had tracked him down – even though weeks earlier he claimed they had failed to attend his daughter’s home when there was an attempted burglary
A spokesman for the Free Speech Union said: ‘The officers read out the section of the Crime and Policing Act 2026 under which they threatened to arrest him should he cross the line.
‘The Met Police again appear more interested in dealing with free speech disputes online rather than tackling real crime.’
The row began after a council threatened three pubs with a ban on eating and drinking outside.
The Bull’s Head, The City Barge and The Bell & Crown in Strand-on-the-Green in Chiswick had been told to remove tables, chairs and sun loungers from the riverside path by Monday.
But Labour-run Hounslow Council has backed down following a campaign by local residents.
Mr Hilton had claimed on social media that the original complaint about the outdoor seating had been made by Green Party councillor Rick Rowe, something he has denied.
And on Thursday night, police tracked him down to The Bell & Crown, where two officers took him outside and warned him he was close to committing a crime.
Mr Hilton filmed the 12-minute exchange, accusing the officers of threatening him and alleging they had been sent at the behest of Mr Rowe.
The footage has since gone viral.
The Daily Mail has contacted the Metropolitan Police and Mr Rowe for comment.
Police approached Mr Hilton over an allegation that he was planning a protest outside the home of Mr Rowe.
In his footage, Mr Hilton was flabbergasted and vehemently denied the claim, telling officers: ‘I haven’t scheduled any protest.’
One officer nonetheless proceeded to read out legislation under which he could be arrested if such a protest took place.
The officer then warned Mr Hilton about tweets in which he referred to the councillor’s home being near the pubs.
Repeatedly telling him he was close to committing a criminal offence, the officer said: ‘We have been made aware of posts on X where you have spoken about someone’s house and given descriptions of that address’.
The officer hastily admitted that Mr Hilton had not given ‘the actual address’ – but warned him: ‘It is on the line where it could be harassment.’
The officer repeatedly acknowledged that no offence had been committed, telling the photographer: ‘This is why it’s a conversation. I’m simply here saying, simply, be mindful.’
Initially shocked, Mr Hilton became increasingly angry during the exchange.
He told the officers that his daughter’s houseboat had been broken into while she slept just a few weeks earlier.
A window near her head was smashed and, after she called 999, she was allegedly told: ‘There’s nothing we can do,’ he claimed.
Expressing his frustration, he said: ‘So you’ve turned up for something that isn’t a crime. But when there is a crime, when my daughter has her window smashed in next to her in the middle of the night, nothing.
‘When there is a thing you have looked at online and you have said it’s not a crime… a copper has turned up.’
He added: ‘You’ve come to threaten me.’
The officer denied threatening him, replying: ‘We’re going around in circles. I was hoping for a handshake and a walk-off.’
Mr Hilton replied about the offer of shaking hands: ‘That is not going to happen. No chance,’ before the officers walked off.
Commenting on the video afterwards, he said: ‘It is incredible that these police were there to bully me, to threaten me, to intimidate me. Watching it back and there is no other conclusion.’
ALSO READ: Rising College Football Coach Dies Unexpectedly at 34 as Team Mourns Devastating Loss
He added: ‘It is harassment.’
The officer denied threatening him – but urged him to be ‘mindful’ of his social media posts
The police intervention came after Mr Hilton and others forced a council backflip after three pubs on a historic Thames-side stretch faced a demand to remove all outdoor seating at the height of the British summer.
‘I want to be really clear. I back our riverside pubs,’ Geeen Party councillor Rick Rowe said in a statement after he was accused of sparking the threat of an outdoor furniture ban
The Bull’s Head, The City Barge and The Bell & Crown in Strand-on-the-Green were told to get rid of street furniture by this Monday as Hounslow Council carried out an investigation.
The issue first came to the attention of the Labour-run council when The Bull’s Head applied to renew its licence, leading to the swift removal of its outdoor seating.
It was then discovered the other two pubs did not have permission under the Hounslow Council’s Highways Act to put furniture on the walkway either.
Under current licensing rules, pubs and restaurants are required to apply for a pavement licence to place outdoor furniture on public ‘highways’.
A worker at The City Barge said the pub was ‘losing a lot’ during the dispute, with up to 50 customers at a time no longer being able to enjoy drinks beside the river.
‘Everybody wants to sit there,’ he told the Daily Mail. ‘It’s a beautiful view’.
Impacted publicans claim council officers told them they were ‘obligated’ to launch an investigation following a single complaint about the decades-old furniture.
Three pubs on a historic Thames-side stretch have forced a council backflip after a demand to remove all outdoor seating sparked a local outcry (pictured, The City Barge in Chiswick)
A worker at The City Barge (pictured) said the pub was ‘losing a lot’ during the dispute, warning that up to 50 customers at a time could no longer enjoy drinks beside the river
Alastair Hilton sparked a backlash after claiming that the complaint had been made by Mr Rowe in a series of social media posts.
Mr Hilton, a local photographer, said he was ‘fuming’ over the decision to block all three pubs from offering outdoor seating, warning it would ‘destroy business’.
Mr Rowe issued a public statement after dozens of locals protested outside the City Barge pub on Wednesday evening.
‘I want to be really clear. I back our riverside pubs,’ he wrote.
‘I did not ask the Council to remove outdoor seating from the Bell & Crown, the City Barge, the Bull’s Head or any other pub on Strand-on-the-Green.
‘That is not my position and never has been.’
The council has since agreed to allow the outdoor seating to remain in place while the three pubs submit licensing applications.
Councillor Amy Croft, Cabinet Member for Infrastructure, Enforcement and Recycling at Hounslow Council, said applications would be processed as quickly as possible.
She said: ‘We recognise the important role that riverside pubs play in the local community and appreciate their contribution to the area’s economy and character.
‘We are required by law to ensure that any outdoor seating and structures placed on the public highway or riverside towpath have the appropriate permissions in place and do not obstruct access for pedestrians, wheelchair users, people with pushchairs or emergency services.
‘Following enquiries regarding outdoor furniture and installations at a number of premises on Strand-on-the-Green, officers reviewed the relevant permissions and licence arrangements. Where tables, chairs, shelving or other removable furniture are placed on the public highway, businesses are required to hold a pavement licence.
‘We are keen to ensure that the pubs can continue trading as normal and therefore we will continue to work constructively with the affected businesses and will process any applications as quickly as possible.’
Under current licensing rules, pubs and restaurants are required to apply for a pavement licence to place outdoor furniture on public ‘highways’ (pictured, The Bell & Crown)
The council has since agreed to allow the outdoor seating to remain in place while the three pubs submit licensing applications (pictured, The Bell & Crown)
It comes as London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan vowed to take on opponents of al fresco dining in nearby Soho using sweeping new licensing powers.
The move follows Westminster City Council’s refusal to back an expansion of seasonal pedestrianisation schemes recently unveiled by City Hall.
The £500,000 Summer Streets programme is designed to support al fresco dining, events and longer opening hours in a boost to London’s night-time economy.
But critics led by influential residents’ group the Soho Society argue the scheme will worsen noise, crowding and anti-social behaviour in the West End.
