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Islington Tribune - by PETER GRUNER
Published: 23 March 2007
 

Printworks in Farringdon Road
Pub pledge to curb noise as neighbours lose sleep

Licence reviewed after police reports of drunkenness and fights


A CLERKENWELL pub where 25 crime and binge-drinking incidents were reported in a year has agreed to tighter controls on customers.
At an Islington Council licensing committee hearing on Monday, police described how they had been called to the Printworks in Farringdon Road to deal with fights outside, rowdiness and. in one instance, the discovery by management of drugs in a toilet.
The committee reviewed the pub licence following the incidents and complaints by residents that their sleep was disturbed by noise from the pub in the early hours.
Reviews under the 2003 Licensing Act can result in the loss of a licence.
In one covert visit to the Printworks, plain-clothes police reported a large number of customers drunk and others “power drinking”, where large trays of “shots” are consumed as well as normal drinks.
One officer reported: “A group of males and females were seen banging each other’s bottles and spraying each other with the contents. Another male in the group stood on his chair dancing, almost falling over, as he was very drunk. Door staff did not challenge this.”
The council’s noise team reported complaints by residents on 11 occasions. Loud music was heard coming from the venue on five occasions at levels amounting to a “public nuisance”.
On two other occasions the noise patrol witnessed customers sounding car horns in the early hours and shouting loudly after leaving.
Environmental health officer Louise Norris told the committee: “During the 20-minute period of monitoring there were 10 separate incidents of car horns sounding. On another occasion, people who left the premises were witnessed whistling loudly, and other customers were talking and shouting while congregated on the street corner.
“Several times people walked into Farringdon Road, and passing traffic sounded their horns.”
Residents told the committee that noise has now been considerably reduced.
Pub owner Wetherspoon agreed that its managers would have regular meetings with residents and provide a mobile phone to call if they had complaints about customers.
Door supervisors trained to control noise will be present at closing time.
Other conditions include replacing glasses with plastic containers on weekend evenings, restrictions on the serving of glass bottles, refresher training for bar staff and notices warning customers to keep noise down when leaving.





 
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