Brawl-club wins back licence to sell booze

CLUB UN . . . shut down in November after a brawl, now granted a licence to sell alcohol

A TOWN centre nightclub was granted a licence to sell alcohol once again yesterday after it was shut down following a mass brawl.

Police reported terrified revellers running from the scene of a 30-man punch-up at the club shortly after 4am on Sunday, November 14.

Oldham Council’s licensing panel agreed that the club’s owners, Brooke Leisure, should keep its licence despite calls from police to review and revoke it.

Owners told the panel that they had closed Mink after a downturn in business, but leased the premises out to tenant Mr Joseph Borg.

Just three weeks after the grand reopening as Club UN in October, it was slapped with a temporary closure order following the dance-floor disruption.

Police said door staff seemed overwhelmed by the levels of violence as clubbers got stuck in doorways, fell over and banged against large glass plates in the scramble to get out.

Mr Borg has now been evicted and has left the town.

Conrad Nugent, area manager for Brooke Leisure, said Oldham deserves another nightclub to boost the night time economy in the town centre.

He said the owners had no intentions of opening the club in the next few months before investment could bring the business up to scratch to attract a more mature clientele.

Police said the premises had suffered a bad reputation in recent years but that owners Brooke Leisure had been co-operative while running the club under its previous guises.

The panel agreed that the licence would be granted to Brook Leisure as long as it agreed to strict conditions.

Owners must actively participate in the local Pub Watch scheme and under-18s will not be allowed on the premises. Councillors also ruled that the club must introduce shatterproof polycarbonate glasses.

Owners must also record continuous CCTV footage.