A landlord who refused to sign up to a 'gentleman's agreement' not to sell drinks for less than £1.30 claims he is being 'bullied and harassed'.
TJ Bhamra, 41, of Regents bar and nightclub on Regent Street, did not open the club on Saturday night because he claimed police officers turned up on several occasions on previous evenings to conduct 'routine checks'.
He said on other occasions, officers were stationed outside the club in a van and he says he closed the venue because he did not want his customers to feel intimidated.
"I will be looking at taking this further because last Friday we had yet another policeman sat outside the club. I'm also in talks with the Office of Fair Trading and I'm going to the
next pubwatch meeting and stressing my opinions."
TJ says he refused to sign up to the Best Bar None scheme, which was put in place to stop booze-related problems and binge-drinking, and has been selling shots for £1.
But he said he is being 'bullied and harassed' by the council and police into signing up to the scheme.
But Superintendent Liz Watson said the police licensing officer had tried to work closely with Regents, offering help and advice to ensure compliance with the Licensing Act 2003 and offering to join the Best Bar None Scheme.
She added: “Since Regents withdrew from the Best Bar None scheme in September, South Yorkshire Police has made no attempts to pursue their involvement or put any pressure on the licensee to join the scheme.
"Routine visits are conducted to all licensed premises including Regents, whether in the Best Bar None scheme or not, to ensure each venue is abiding to licensing regulations and health and safety guidelines.
“On October 18, the Barnsley Licensing Officer conducted a daytime visit to the Regents, to conduct a review of policies and procedures in place.
“On October 19, Regents was visited by uniformed officers to conduct a standard licensing check. These checks were carried out throughout the whole of the town centre with five other venues visited that same night, and all the remaining town-centre licensed premises visited on the Saturday night.
“Licensing visits are there to encourage and promote a safe environment for visitors to the town, with the majority of licensees welcoming visits from the police throughout the peak-times on Friday and Saturday nights.”
