Most punters will agree that it is bad enough to be shooed out of a pub at closing time. So imagine how miffed drinkers were at the Punch Bowl yesterday afternoon - film director and "Mr Madonna" Guy Ritchie - turfed them all out of his Mayfair pub to have a private lock-in.

Private party: Guy Ritchie

The RocknRolla director, 40, closed the pub at 6pm to have a drinking session with a group of mates.

One patron told us: "I was drinking with a couple of friends when a member of staff came over to us and asked us to leave. When we asked why, he told us Guy wanted the venue all to himself. Everyone was a bit cheesed off, but what could we do? We were given time to finish our drinks before we had to leave. They then bolted the doors so Guy could have his lock in."

Guy has been spending a lot of time in his pub since his marriage to Madonna hit the rocks, staggering out of the boozer twice last week after late-night sessions. If he continues to close the place whenever he wants - so that his clients never know when they will be "allowed" to stay there - he might soon be spending a lot of days and nights alone in there.

He is currently working on his next film project Sherlock Holmes in central London while his children are in New York with his estranged wife.

Last week Guy hired a top lawyer in his battle with the singer over where their children should live.

Madonna is understood to want to move back to the US after eight years of marriage to Ritchie.