Future of Notorious under threat after 4.16am stabbing and drug-debt intelligence

A 'messy brawl' somewhat undersells what happened at Notorious last weekend

Hello and welcome to The Blackpool Lead.

A bar in Blackpool - rather ominously named Notorious - has an uncertain future after police moved to suspend its licence over the last seven days.

The owner gave an interview to The Gazette this week in which he said it was due to a ‘messy brawl’.

But the work done by The Blackpool Lead this week shows that this summary rather understates what happened and why police have taken the action they have.

Blackpool briefing

💩 United Utilities has pleaded guilty to five environmental offences at locations across the Fylde coast. The water company was brought before Preston Magistrates’ Court on April 22 to face charges in relation to Anchorsholme, Manchester Square (Blackpool) and Chatsworth Avenue (Fleetwood) pumping stations, all of which occurred throughout in June 2023. In each case, United Utilities admitted that it had failed to comply with an environmental permit condition in that it failed to operate the works in accordance with the Fylde Tunnel and Storage Tanks Operating Philosophy. The court heard that United Utilities had been unable to secure the services of an expert witness to complete a report in time for the hearing and its sentencing was adjourned to September 8 when it will present a basis of plea to explain its failings.

🛎️ Britannia, the group behind the Metropole Hotel which we recently confirmed will close by 13 July, is unsurprisingly keeping its cards close to its chest on the hotel’s future. A new statement from the group makes no commitments after calls from Chris Webb to return to the hotel to its ‘former glory’ - said glory predating the group’s stewardship of the site of course. A spokesperson said: “We welcome constructive conversation regarding the future of The Metropole Hotel in Blackpool and fully understand the local interest in restoring this iconic hotel as a community asset. “We are currently reviewing our options while giving due consideration to local perspectives, and we will share further updates with the community once a plan has been finalised.”

🍔 New jobs are now on offer as Blackpool’s ambitious Southbeach Streetfood project moves closer. The new food destination is located opposite the Sandcastle Waterpark on South Shore promenade and will feature 19 converted shipping containers. It will include food concessions ranging from Thai and Mexican to Spanish tapas and wood fired pizza. The site will offer seating for up to 400 diners, and be designed with entertainment space so it can host events and music, with screens to show big sporting occasions. It was hoped the attraction would be ready to open in June but the physical preparations needed for the groundwork have taken longer than anticipated and now it looks set to launch in July. FBS Engineering of Poulton has officially begun transforming the shipping containers that will form the backbone of the development after recently moving into a larger workshop to accommodate the scale of the project.

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Future of Notorious under threat after 4.16am stabbing and drug-debt intelligence

Police at Notorious following the incident

By Luke Beardsworth

A nightclub in Blackpool has had its licence suspended after a man was stabbed when the bar should have been closed.

Sergeant Nat Cox of Lancashire Constabulary requested the licence of Notorious Bar, on Queen Street, be suspended temporarily after a man in his 30s was stabbed inside the venue at 4am on Saturday (18 April) and ‘lost a lot of blood’.

That person was taken to hospital with serious injuries - but the venue has faced other drug-related problems that are not limited to that incident.

Notorious Bar had its licence suspended pending the outcome of a full review which will be held on Monday 11 May.

This follows a hearing on Tuesday, 21 April when the decision was taken by Blackpool Council’s licensing committee to uphold the police’s recommendation.

Speaking to The Gazette this week, Matthew Crook - the owner of Notorious Bar - said that ‘a fight had broken out and it had gotten a bit messy’.

He added that he is confident that the bar will reopen.

But according to the police documents seen by The Blackpool Lead, that is not the only reason the venue has attracted their attention.