Pub where police found cannabis plants in flat above during raid keeps licence

A pub where police found cannabis plants in the flat above during a raid – and which saw a series of violent mass brawls take place following the relaxing of lockdown restrictions – has kept its licence.

Greater Manchester Police had called for a full review of the licence of the Snipe Inn pub in Audenshaw following a drug bust at the property on July 6.

Officers uncovered 10 ‘mature’ plants being grown and a ‘substantial’ amount of cash in the upstairs flat during a series of raids at properties, town hall papers say.

The designated premises supervisor (DPS) of the pub was arrested as part of the raid for being ‘concerned in the production of controlled drugs’, council documents state. 

GMP has said the person was released pending investigation.

Following an expedited hearing on July 7, Tameside’s licensing panel took the decision to suspend the licence and remove the DPS.

A full review of the licence took place on Wednesday, July 11 which considered a number of options, including revocation of the licence.

While panel members heard that numerous incidents had occurred involving the pub since January, they agreed that with stricter conditions, it could continue to trade.

Councillors were told concerns over how the premises was being managed led to a notice being served by the council last October requiring the pub to shut due to a ‘serious imminent threat to public health’.

These included failures to ensure social distancing and manage the behaviour of customers to prevent the spread of Covid-19, and saw the pub remain closed until April 12 this year.

On June 22 a meeting was convened with the pub’s premises licence holders to discuss two ‘separate crimes’ at The Snipe Inn, on Manchester Road.

On May 29, police responded to a 999 call to reports of fighting in the beer garden ‘where a male was assaulted which turned into a brawl’, regulatory compliance manager Mike Robinson said.

“The victim received a serious injury to his head,” he added.

“On June 12 police came across a large scale fight involving over 30 – all parties refused to engage with the police officers.

“A witness later made a 999 call to police to state that the saw a male involved be purposely hit by a vehicle.”

GMP licensing officer Martin Thorley told the hearing there had been a total of 20 incidents in relation to the pub on police records since the beginning of the year.

The majority of these had occurred at weekends and either late in the evening or near the time for last orders at the Snipe Inn.

“Prior to the suspension of the licence and search warrant being executed I was in consultation with both the DPS and tenant and the business development manager from Robinsons due to the serious concerns I had about who the premises were being managed by and the unwanted crime and disorder that was evident,” he said.

“Despite my concerns Robinsons did stick with the operator who were complicit in allowing criminality to take place in the premises.

“That said I do believe Robinsons have had the wool pulled over their eyes and have put their trust in the tenant as a company were totally unaware of what was going on behind closed doors.

“I cannot blame bricks and mortar for the catalogue of crime and disorder associated with the Snipe.

“The premise has attracted the wrong sort of clientele for some time, this clientele have no respect for licensing objectives and have no respect for authority.”

He added: “I’m disappointed with the number of incidents that have clearly undermined the licensing objectives.

“I am disenchanted that whilst these meetings took place at the pub itself the gardener was upstairs more concerned with his illegal grow that was going on at the premises.”

He concluded that he hoped Robinsons would be true to their word and work to deter people who ‘thrive on bringing criminality to licensed premises in Tameside’.

Samantha Faud, the solicitor representing Robinsons Brewery, said: “Clearly Robinsons did not know about the ongoings at the premises as they were in the residential living quarters upstairs and due to Covid restrictions these weren’t accessible.

“These incidents are clearly as the result of the wrong clientele, a clientele that Robinsons do not want.

“We need to take some serious steps to changing the operating style, and quick.

"We’re stripping everything back.”

The drinks offer in the Snipe had been changed to a more ‘premium’ range and live entertainment would be stopped, and temporarily showing sports would also be paused.

This would welcome families rather than the previous ‘troubled’ patrons, the meeting was told.

“We’ve removed the tenant, we’ve got a management company in, we’ve offered these conditions and we’ve gone further and upgraded CCTV and put an automatic number plate recognition system in place,” Ms Faud added.

“These are all things that we’ve done and volunteered.”

She added they had agreed to put door supervisors on the first two weekends to make sure the reopening runs ‘smoothly’.

“It will not be a premises that tolerates the past behaviours,” Ms Faud said.

“We need to ensure that the old clientele don’t creep back into the premises.”

Chair of the licensing panel, councillor Dolores Lewis said they had agreed that the Snipe Inn could retain its premises licence, but with a raft of new conditions.

These included restricting the opening hours to 11am to 12.30am, Monday to Saturday and from 12pm on Sunday.

Alcohol could also only be sold until midnight with just half an hour of drinking up time.

Any event which saw the pub open beyond its standard timings would require a risk assesment and a minimum of two door supervisors, who would also be required at the showing of any football match involving Manchester United or Manchester City.

Coun Lewis said: “The panel were satisfied that additional conditions wold be sufficient to promote the licensing objectives in this matter.”

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