Bar Loses Licence for Three Months After Drug Tests Keep Failing

A bar in Market Rasen, England, has had its licence suspended for three months after police kept finding high levels of cocaine at the venue. West Lindsey District Council's licensing subcommittee met on Thursday to decide what to do about Buzz Bar on Queen Street. Officials said the bar's owner had ignored a long list of problems for months. The suspension means the bar cannot legally serve alcohol during that time.

The owner of Buzz Bar is Simon Moorhouse. He told the committee that he had not been able to spend much time at the bar because he had been sick. He also said that some of his past employees had let him down by not following his instructions. Moorhouse admitted he was new to running a bar and had relied on other people for advice.

Police Sergeant Amy Adams told the committee that the bar had shown 'clear and consistent non-compliance.' This means the bar kept breaking the rules even after police warned the owner many times. Officers used a special tool called a drug itemiser, which can detect traces of drugs on surfaces. The readings at Buzz Bar came back high again and again.

The committee also had worries beyond just drugs. Officials raised concerns about the bar's security cameras, how well staff were trained, and whether proper records were being kept. The subcommittee said it was 'extremely concerned about repeated high drug itemiser readings, with no demonstrated measures to address this.' In other words, the bar's leaders were not taking clear steps to fix the problem.

John Ashworth, a representative speaking on Moorhouse's behalf, told the committee that the owner deeply regrets what happened. He said the problems were partly caused by Moorhouse being new to holding a licence and also by his poor health. Ashworth added that Moorhouse was now taking the matter very seriously and working to follow all the rules.

The committee questioned whether Moorhouse was truly able to run the bar and be its main supervisor. They agreed to suspend the licence for three months, but left open a path for the bar to reopen sooner. The bar could come back before the three months are up if a new supervisor is put in place and police are happy that all the problems have been fixed.

Moorhouse said he had taken on Buzz Bar as a retirement project, something to keep him busy after his working years. He said he plans to hand over the licence to his deputy manager. If that happens and police give the go-ahead, the bar could reopen before the suspension period ends.