Manchester City Council has shut down an illegal nightclub that was concealed as a restaurant and takeaway.
Officers observed the shutters on the premises being raised and lowered to allow people – often appearing intoxicated – to enter.
Queens Lounge, also known as Tasty’s Restaurant, had been attracting complaints from neighbours, who reported significant noise and anti-social behaviour taking place.
Evidence gathered by Council staff, GMP and via members of the public confirmed that the restaurant was indeed a front for late-night activity.
The basement space of the Oldham Road property was being used as an unlicensed nightclub and bar, complete with large quantities of alcohol and even a receipt book.
ADVERTISEMENT
Licensing and Out of Hours Officers carried out observations, noticing people coming and going throughout the night on 6 November 2022, when officers heard music coming through the door of the venue.
They also saw two women, who appeared to be intoxicated, entering the premises through the shutters at approximately 3am.
ADVERTISEMENT
Similar activity was noticed on other occasions too.
The closed sign at Tasty’s Restaurant, which was operating illegally as a nightclub. Credit: Manchester City Council
Residents in the area reported arguing and fighting around Tasty’s, loud bass music coming from inside, and litter including Nitrous Oxide canisters being left in the alleyway behind.
On 25 March, Manchester City Council officers and GMP visited and found alcohol clearly intended for sale.
ADVERTISEMENT
As a result of all the evidence of serious nuisance, disorder and criminal conduct, the Council moved to impose a Closure Order on the premises.
On Friday 16 June, the order was granted after a hearing at Manchester Magistrates’ Court, ordering Tasty’s to close immediately until 15 September 2023.
All persons are banned from entering the premises, other than Rubina Jamal Malik (owner of the premises leasehold), Manzoor Malik, and members of the emergency services, Council officers, or contractors working on behalf of the Council.
Councillor Luthfur Rahman, Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “Residents surrounding this premises have for too long had to tolerate an unacceptable level of disturbance and disruption.
“The constant nuisance and anti-social behaviour which took place causes significant harm and diminishes the overall wellbeing and amenity of the surrounding community.
ADVERTISEMENT
“The wealth of evidence uncovered through our investigation proved beyond doubt this venue was operating as an illegal bar and club.
“This closure order will now give the Council an opportunity to work with the owner of the business, and the owner of the building, to find a long-term solution to this issue.
“I am grateful for the diligence shown by our officers and legal team in securing this closure order, and I’d reiterate to our residents that we remain committed to tackling any kind of disturbance that negatively impacts our communities.”
Featured image: Manchester City Council
News
Poundland facing ‘significant store closures’ after being sold for just £1
Long-standing British bargain brand Poundland could be set to close a number of locations across the UK after being sold for just £1.
The franchise famed for selling things for just a quid has been a mainstay on the high streets for what feels like it’s been around for as long as most of us can remember, but has been struggling to compete in the discount market.
Opened in 1990, Poundland was eventually bought by Polish variety store chain Pepco Group back in 2016, but has now been auctioned off after struggling sales over the past few years.
As per a press release from the company, Pepco decided to sell the business to American investment firm Gordon Brothers for what reports cited as a “nominal fee” – a figure now revealed to be £1.
Credit: The Manc Group
Poundland’s former boss, Barry Williams, left the brand in 2023 but was reinstated in at the start of this year to help the business and the Group’s European counterparts (Pepco and Dealz).
Sharing an official update with The Manc, the returning MD and CEO said, “Poundland is a UK and Ireland retailer of real significance, serving 20 million customers each year with a much-loved brand.
“Although recent trading has been challenging, we have built a turnaround plan with a simplified and more focused Poundland at its heart, as we aim to deliver the amazing value our customers expect.
“In due course, we’ll share more details of the proposed restructuring and turnaround. I’d like to thank Pepco for its stewardship of the business. We welcome Gordon Brothers and look forward to working with them as we implement our turnaround plan.”
As for Gordon Bros themselves, the American group with outposts all over the globe, says it is “delighted” to be providing the bargain brand with “the financing to support the substantial turnaround of this iconic retailer.”
Even with their own hardships, Poundland stores have still been providing a much-needed cut-price place to shop for those looking to save wherever they can amid the cost of living crisis, not to mention taking over previous Wilko stores and helping bail out others in need.
Before Poundland were sold, they also helped prop-up those hit by the Wilkos falling into administration.
According to Retail Gazette, an approximate £80 million cash injection has been pledged to help support their 800 stores and roughly 16,000 staff across the UK and Ireland.
Nevertheless, BBC sources understand that the even with the new backing, the proposed restructuring of the company which will be put before the High Court here in England could still “involve a significant number of store closures.”
Meanwhile, an official statement from Pepco’s Stephan Borchert reads: “The agreed sale of Poundland marks an important milestone in our strategic plan to move away from FMCG and focus predominantly on Pepco, our higher margin clothing and general merchandise business…
“Poundland remains a key player in UK discount retail, with millions of customers annually and a well-loved brand and proposition. We want to sincerely thank Poundland for their ongoing commitment and contribution to the Group and wish Barry Williams and his team all the best for the future.”
Ryanair is majorly clamping-down on passenger conduct by introducing a new immediate fining system.
In a bid to get onboard conduct to an acceptable level, Europe’s largest budget airline has today confirmed (12 June) that it has introduced a £500 fine for disruptive passengers whose unruly behaviour results in them being offloaded from the aircraft.
The airline – which prides itself on being one of the most ‘punctual’ in the continent – says passengers expect to travel in a ‘comfortable and stress-free environment’ that’s free from ‘unnecessary disruption’ caused by a tiny number of people travelling onboard the aircraft at the same time as them.
Ryanair has introduced immediate £500 fines for ‘unruly’ passengers / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
While it’s no secret that passenger disruption is a problem that’s increasingly affecting the airline industry as a whole, Ryanair says it’s ‘committed’ to tackling unruly behaviour for the benefit of its passengers and crew.
The company intends to continue to pursue disruptive passengers for civil damages, but at a minimum, they will now be issued with a £500 fine immediately.
“It is unacceptable that passengers are made suffer unnecessary disruption because of one unruly passenger’s behaviour,” a Ryanair spokesperson commented as the fines were announced today.
The airline says it’s committed to tackling this for the benefit of its passengers and crew / Credit: Pxhere
“To help ensure that our passengers and crew travel in a comfortable and stress-free environment, without unnecessary disruption caused by a tiny number of unruly passengers, we have introduced a £500 fine, which will be issued to any passengers offloaded from aircraft as a result of their misconduct.
“While these are isolated events which happen across all airlines, disruptive behaviour in such a confined shared space is unacceptable.
Daisy Jackson -
19th June 2023 
