Police call time on town centre pub

Police in Rochdale are warning landlords not to break the conditions of their licence after time was called on a town centre pub.

Blue Lounge on Yorkshire Street, Rochdale had its licence suspended on Thursday 11 February for failing to comply with the conditions of their licence, despite several warnings for the lack of management and control of the premises.

This means the pub currently is no longer permitted to sell alcohol, this can be for up to six months.

Daisy Edwards, licensing officer for Rochdale Division said: “This is evidence that if licensed premises fail to act upon our warnings, the authorities will come down hard. We have given the pub enough opportunities to make amendments to its working practices but it has demonstrated a blatant disregard for the conditions, which it’s legally obliged to meet. We are now reviewing their Best Bar None accreditation in light of the breaches that triggered the closure.

“Greater Manchester Police takes the breach of licensing conditions very seriously as licensees should not only abide by the law but must also consider the safety of their patrons and staff. Breaches, no matter how minor, will not be tolerated and anyone in breach will have to face the consequences of their actions.

“The success of this closure shows our commitment to work with the council to encourage the responsible sale of alcohol throughout the borough. I’m pleased to say that the majority of pubs and clubs in the town centre operate responsibly, however, we cannot and will not tolerate premises that are poorly managed.

“We will continue to work closely with the council to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour and will continue to target those that cause the greatest problems. The bar’s town centre location meant that the whole community felt the consequences of poor management. This is not acceptable.”

Andy Glover, Public Protection Manager for Rochdale Borough Council said: “We are committed to making the town centre as safe as possible for people to drink and socialise. That means there is no place for any establishment that is becoming a hot spot for anti-social behaviour, or is having a negative impact on other businesses or residents in the community.

“We’ll seek to use all the powers we have and the law to close down such a premise that threatens the safety of our town centre patrons. On this occasion, I’m pleased that both the police and the council took such prompt and decisive action.

“However, I’d like to stress that we work closely with local licensees to make sure that they’re upholding the conditions of their licences and we’ve been successful in building up excellent relationships with most landlords who fully support what we are trying to achieve. We are especially keen to support those licensees who have made a commitment to trade responsibly and promote safe drinking practices by signing up to our Best Bar None scheme. As part of this scheme the licensees are closely monitored and if they’re performing badly we won’t hesitate to strip them of their Best Bar None status.”