The full extent of drug use, violence and underage drinking at Blackwood’s Vanilla Bar was revealed today at a hearing that saw the club’s licence permanently revoked.
The club on High Street was raided on July 17 and 16 bags of white powder were found, with 12 testing positive for cocaine – while a solid block of white powder was found in the till and drugs were found in two cars belonging to bouncers.
Thirty underage drinkers were found inside, the youngest a 15-year-old boy who had been found by police outside the club with two bags of mephedrone just a few weeks earlier.
The only fire escape was padlocked shut and police had to cut through the lock with bolt cutters as the key could not be found by bar staff.
Inspector Carl Williams told the hearing of Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Licensing and Gambling Sub-Committee that the lack of escape would have caused “mass casualties” if an emergency had occurred.
The raid came after a number of incidents and complaints relating to the club including, assault with intent, urinating and defecating outside and in nearby residents’ driveways, overcrowding, noise pollution and public sex acts.
In one incident on May 29 this year a 16-year-old girl was assaulted and left with two black eyes, a broken nose, bleeding from the ears and suspected broken ribs.
The hearing heard bouncers were dealing cocaine, MDMA and mephedrone and during the raid traces of drugs were found in the DJ booth and behind the bar.
Steroids and hypodermic needles were also found in staff areas.
The licence review was sought by Gwent Police and after a four hour hearing today, September 25, it was decided to revoke the licence completely for a number of reasons, including failing to protect the welfare of children.
As part of the investigation police studied CCTV and said bouncers showed “complete disregard” to underage drinking by failing to check ID.
The sub-committee claimed that “children were at serious risk of harm from the premises”.
They refused an application from the solicitor of licence holder Brett Podmore and head of security Nathan Jones to adjourn the hearing.
The hearing also heard from residents who live near to Vanilla Bar, with one couple objecting to “patrons of the club using our driveway as a public toilet to urinate and also defecate”, which is “not a nice sight to face of a morning”.
The club was shut down after the raid and could have re-opened next month if the police had not sought the review.
After the decision, resident Arthur Bradfield said living next door to the club while it was open was “horrendous”, with him and his family unable to enjoy a normal life.
He said: “I’m enormously relieved that the committee has come to a common sense decision. I’m delighted and hope we can move on and get on with our lives.
“You don’t really realise how it affects you and how you feel threatened by it until normality returns.”
Blackwood Councillor Nigel Dix said he received weekly complaints off residents relating to the Vanilla Bar.
He said: “I’m delighted with the decision, it’s put child safety at the forefront to keep our children safe from the underage sale of alcohol and illegal substances that were found on the premises.
“This sends a clear message to other licensees in the area that if they breach conditions they will be dealt with.”
Local Policing Area Superintendent, Marc Budden said: “Clubs like the Vanilla Bar are hugely damaging on our communities. The implications of underage drinking, drug use and contravening health and safety regulations have very serious consequences.
“There was substantial evidence that Vanilla Bar was operating in a manner that was likely to cause serious harm to the public by allowing the continued sale of alcohol to underage children and the use and supply of drugs within the premises.”
Gwent Police Licensing Officer Anne Hier added: “Today’s result is a culmination of months of hard work from Gwent Police and its partners.
“We work with licensed premises to ensure that they offer a safe environment for their customers, uphold their licensing conditions and operate within the law.
“This was clearly not the case with Vanilla Bar and as a result Caerphilly County Borough Council Licensing Committee has taken on board the severity of the evidence shown and today revoked its licence.”
Watch: Police raid the Vanilla Bar on High Street Blackwood