Class A drugs pub could lose license

The future of a Spalding pub that has repeatedly tested positive for traces class A drugs on its premises faces a licence review panel decision on Tuesday (July 24).

Areas within The Black Swan, New Road, have, since 2011, repeatedly tested positive for traces of class A drugs, including cocaine, heroin and MDMA, states the supporting documents of the Panel of the Committee of the Licensing Authority.

Cocaine has been present at every recorded police visit for the past seven years.

Lincolnshire Police applied for a review of the premises licence on June 7, 2018. The licence holder is John Parr.

The agenda states: “Lincolnshire Police had received intelligence that there has been drug activity within the premises, which led to police intervention at the premises initially in 2011.

“Lincolnshire Police state that repeated visits have been made to the venue with the drugs itemising machine over a number of years and advice has been offered to those persons in control of the pub.

“A further visit to the premises by Lincolnshire Police using the itemiser in May 2018 indicate that drugs are being used through the building.”

Details of the police itemiser’s findings have been included in the documents.

According to the police reports, during the first recorded visit in February 2011, evidence of cocaine, MDMA, heroin and cannabis was found throughout the pub, with one of the highest ratings of cocaine found on the pool table.

High ratings for cocaine were found in the cubicles of both male and female toilets.

The same occurred a month later when police returned.

Each subsequent visit recorded similar results.

During a police visit in May 2018, cocaine was found on 17 of 19 surfaces tested, with the highest readings found in the male toilets and the “staff side of bar and till”.

The police report states: “A member of staff voluntarily gave a hand swab to be examined, and the results showed a positive reading of cocaine.”

Police also included a report that detailed their concerns over the pub’s CCTV. They wrote to Mr Parr in February 2017 stating the premises breached licensing conditions when the landlord couldn’t produce a copy of the license, didn’t keep records of CCTV recordings and didn’t know how to use the CCTV system.”