A DOVERCOURT bar has had its licence revoked by council bosses due to excessive loud music which is said to have caused a public nuisance.

Wick’s Bar, in Midland House, High Street, which is run by Enterprise Harwich Bar Ltd, has had its licence suspended for three monthsnoi by Tendring Council.

During a hearing held on Friday, November 17, the authority's licensing sub-committee was told how several monitoring visits had been carried out at the site.

Advice had been given to the landlord on how to reduce the volume of music inside, as well as the noise from rowdy crowds drinking outside.

The committee also heard how Essex Police had visited the bar on numerous occasions following reports of fights, with officers also finding evidence of drug use in the venue’s toilets.

After considering the evidence presented at the hearing, the sub-committee ruled the venue’s licence would be suspended for three months due to breaches of the licensing objectives around preventing crime and disorder, and public nuisance.

The sub-committee had been so concerned about the operation of the premises that it had also actively considered revoking the licence altogether.

Ann Wiggins, who chaired the sub-committee, said the decision was necessary to protect the public.

She said: “We welcome a vibrant night-time economy in Tendring, but venues must not contribute to or cause a public nuisance, crime and disorder or anti-social behaviour, and sadly that was the case here.

“Numerous visits from our officers and those from Essex Police, advice given and an action plan were all ignored by the venue’s management, demonstrating this has been ill-managed for some time.

"TDC Licensing officers found breaches of the requirements over the same period of time.

“While we welcome the change of management and approach at the venue from the overall owners, we felt we had no choice but to suspend the licence for a period of time due to the severity of the issues raised.

"We also hope new conditions will prevent such issues re-occurring and causing a nuisance for the local community.”

The sub-committee also imposed new licence conditions on the venue including earlier closing times, reduced outside usage, and a 30-minute 'quiet and no music period' before closing.

The conditions were largely agreed to in advance of the hearing by the overall owner of the business.

The venue suspension will come into effect following the end of an appeal period, during which time the venue management can challenge the decision.

Flying Trade Group Ltd, which owns the venue, has applied to Tendring Council to transfer the premise's licence away from its current operator and removed the previous Designated Premises Supervisor.