Bar is to shut for three months
A NIGHTSPOT has been closed down for three months after police chronicled a history of violence.
Shades bar, in Hartlepool's Church Street, has had its licence suspended for three months after Hartlepool Borough Council's licensing committee heard how 30 incidents of violence and disorder had taken place in the past year.
The bar could be closed as early as October 4 but the suspension may have to wait until next year if licensee Raymond Lancaster appeals to town magistrates.
When the bar is re-opened, bouncers will have to be present on the door from opening time and all CCTV footage must be kept for 28 days.
Cleveland Police district commander Steve Ashman said: "Ideally I would like to have seen the licence revoked but I am pleased that a suspension of three months has been granted.
"This is a clear statement of intent on the part of Cleveland Police and our partners that we will not tolerate badly-run licensed premises."
Earlier the committee was shown CCTV footage of an incident outside the premises when a man could be seen biting another man's face on January 7 this year.
Sergeant Tony Green said door staff ignored the attack and then shook hands with the assailant before he re-entered the bar.
But Clive Harvard, defending Mr Lancaster, said bouncers had no legal duty to break up the fight and were not insured to do so as the attack was outside.
The committee heard that underage drinking was a problem after a 13-year-old and a 14-year-old girl were filmed entering the nightclub on August 11 this year.
They stayed on the premises for 18 minutes until police arrived outside the club.
Committee members heard how the girls told police that they had been served alcohol.
But bar staff said they had been refused booze.
Mr Lancaster said: "There are other premises in the town that are worse than Shades and are not receiving any bother," he said.
"I know it looks bad in black and white but it is little scuffles here and there."

The Cotton Club. Unbelievably, we once did a gig there (about 1997). The electric supply was so ropey we had to nip to Tandy and get 3 Microphone Covers, as every time your lips touched them you got an electric shock.

:

My old mate Tony Green. Ex Marine and Falklands Veteran.

By the way, why is it whenever I see the surname Lancaster in Hartlepool I automatically assume it will have some connection with violence.

Tony Green???

Iiiiiiiiiinnnnn one!! This fantastic fridge......

By the way, why is it whenever I see the surname Lancaster in Hartlepool I automatically assume it will have some connection with violence.

It means you are a cheeky tw@t for calling me an oxygen thief and a pensioner and I have unleashed the four horsemen of the apocalypse on yer!! Prepare to meet your maker!!

Yes but dead commies don't join football club message boards so you are in fact an impostor.

And a cheeky tw@t. Are you going to the match tomorrow??

I'm an Usher at a wedding. Everyone's getting married. I was at one last Saturday, and one just under 4 weeks ago!

an usher?
how gay...!!

How have you seen my outift then?

How very middle class.

How have you seen my outift then?

Says the estimator married to the solicitor!

Dibble is the estimator

I deal with much more of an exact science!

PS. We're common, we just live together like the working class traditionally used to before they began aspiring to be middle class.

mourners jacket thing?