Wild 80s bar where bloke was KO’d on dance floor and punter had ear bitten off

A bar where a series of violent incidents took place has managed to hold onto its licence after staff outside the venue stamped on a reveller's head.

The Back to the 80s bar in Tameside also saw one bloke have part of his ear "bitten off" while another was knocked unconscious on the dance floor during other incidents. Tameside Council's liquor licensing panel carried out a review of the venue following several reports of incidents involving both customers and staff, reports Manchester Evening News.

The panel ultimately ruled against revoking the licence but instead made changes to its conditions, including shortening its opening hours.

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Concerns about the watering hole came to a head in July when a "serious assault" broke out. After a man was booted out at about 3am a member of staff and off-duty bouncer followed him and assaulted him, the panel heard today (Tuesday, November 7).

CCTV footage showed one of the staff members holding the man down while the other kicked and stamped on his head. The man was left with a "deep gash" to the nose and other facial injuries.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) made two arrests following the attack. But it wasn't the first time a violent incident like this had taken place at the boozer.

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In November 2021, GMP told the licensing department a man had part of his ear chewed off while he was on the venue's dance floor. The victim was rushed to hospital and police arrested the offender at the scene.

Less than a year later, in June 2022, a man punched another customer who then tumbled to the floor. The victim suffered a number of injuries including a fractured eye socket, while the attacker stayed at the bar and polished off his drink.

Licensing officers said they had "lost faith" in the bar's ability to uphold its licensing objectives. They added the most recent incident was "particularly concerning" with staff involved.

Mike Robinson, Tameside’s licensing manager, said footage showed employees "lying down, smoking and drinking" just before the attack. "It was clear that door staff working at the premises on July 24 had not taken appropriate measures to prevent this incident from occurring," he said.

A statement read out on behalf of Police Inspector John Cesarz said there were "concerns" about the management of the bar, which were echoed by ward councillors Jan Jackson, Adrian Pearce and Christine Beardmore.

The premises licence holder, Ian Whittaker, told the panel he asked for a police van to park on Market Street as a deterrent and had placed more door staff on duty than legally required. The hearing also heard the members of staff involved in the most recent major incident had been fired and reported to Pub Watch.

"We do our utmost to stop people from causing trouble, we have doormen there to try and make sure it doesn’t happen, but you’re not going to stop this trouble," he said.

The pub will now have to close at 2.30am from Thursday to Saturday and 12.30am on Sunday. It will also stop serving alcohol half an hour before closing time.

There must be three members of accredited door staff must be present from 11pm and a metal detector wand will be used on customers. The personal licence holder or the designated premises supervisor must be at the bar any time licensable activities are taking place.

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