City bar loses licence after police concerns

A city centre bar has had its licence revoked after police said it ignored repeated warnings.

A licensing committee was told the Akedo bar, in Lincoln, had not addressed problems with drugs, CCTV and a lack of staff training despite repeated requests.

The owner, Antonio Rovezzano, has appealed, claiming the decision was unfair and the venue was being unfairly targeted.

The bar remains open while the appeal is considered.

Akedo, which opened as a gaming bar in 2016 and is now a live music venue, was forced to close for a month during the summer due to serious fire safety concerns.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, when it reopened, police found high drug readings across the premises and licensing officers spotted "extensive breaches".

These included staff training materials from the wrong country, CCTV not saving recordings for long enough, and staff not constantly monitoring the basement area.

At the City of Lincoln Council hearing on 9 October, Lincolnshire Police said it did not feel Rovezzano was taking the issues seriously.

Sgt Amy Adams told the hearing the evidence demonstrated a consistent pattern of non-compliance over several years, despite repeated inspections, advice and warnings.

"[Rovezzano] has not taken advice from police on board until the review began, and only worked with the fire service after Akedo closed due to dangerous issues," she said.

"He spoke of a learning curve – it's been 10 years. This shouldn't be a learn-on-the-job situation."

Rovezzano said he had been unfairly targeted while he was dealing with a family illness.

"I feel they just want a local independent business gone to tick their boxes and used me as an example at a time when I'm vulnerable personally," he said.

"I refuse to have unfair judgement placed on me."

Rovezzano alleges evidence presented at the hearing was inaccurate, saying Akedo "never caused problems to the general public".

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