The iconic venue in Farringdon, central London, originally shut its doors last month following the drug-related deaths of two teenagers.
Reasons for the council’s decision, made at a licensing meeting last night (6 September), include the deaths of two 18-year-olds in June and August of this year after buying and taking drugs in the club. The decision form stated that on both of these occasions, the teenagers and their friends were “able to conceal drugs on their person and get through the search and entry system without the drugs being detected”.
Searches on entry
The form also stated that people entering the club were “inadequately searched”, the security and staff should or would have been able to see the use of drugs and the effect of drug use on a large number of people.
The council's statement added that “staff intervention and security was grossly inadequate in light of the overwhelming evidence that it was abundantly obvious that patrons in the club were on drugs and manifesting symptoms showing that they were. This included sweating, glazed red eyes and staring into space and people asking for help”.
Drug use
The statement also said that during a visit in July, undercover officers saw open drug use at the site with drugs being offered for sale, that entry searches were inadequate and in breach of the licensing conditions, and that people in the smoking area were enquiring about buying drugs within earshot of the security officer and in contravention of the licensing conditions related to the dedicated smoking area.
Following the earlier temporary removal of the club’s licence, an online petition addressed to London mayor Sadiq Khan gained almost 150,000 signatures in support of keeping the club open.
Fans of the club have taken to Twitter to vent their disappointment: