August 19, 2010 10.45 am This story is over 162 months old

City club reduced to soft drinks for a night

Pint of Coke: Decibels club had to sell only soft drinks for a night, after it failed to get a temporary exemption to its alcohol licence.

A Lincoln club had to sell only soft drinks at the weekend because it didn’t submit paperwork in time. Decibels on Canwick Road was prevented from selling alcohol for an evening, after failing to secure a temporary exemption to an element of its licence.

Police are enforcing licensing laws in Lincoln to the letter, as part of a crackdown on city pubs and clubs. So far, police have shut down two pubs, and fined another one for selling alcohol to minors. Riley’s Snooker Club was served a closure notice in April, Sippers in May, and Glasshouse was fined in June.

According to Lincolnshire Police, Decibels submitted an application to be allowed to serve alcohol while people under the age of 18 were on the premises. This was due to a band with a young fan base performing at the venue that evening.

However, Decibels’ application was not submitted in time, police say. Officers attended the event at the weekend and banned the continuation of the sale of alcohol, as a number of people under the age of 18 were still present. The event was allowed to continue only with the sale of soft drinks.

Decibels only opened in June, in a building which used to house a drag cabaret and LGBT bar named Angels and more recently Angels2 or A2. The club is run by 32-year-old promoter Elvis Idegbekwu, who co-owns the venue with his wife Karen.

Police have reported Decibels for allowing unauthorised licensing activities to take place on the premises.

Source: Lincolnshire Police