Council demands pub drug searches

The concept of a friendly welcome at your local has taken on a whole new dimension in Newcastle-under-Lyme, where licensees have been told they must search customers for drugs.

The new council policy has been forced on publicans in the Staffordshire town, who fear they will lose customers in droves.

The new proposals apply to any venue with an entertainment licence and a capacity of more than 200 and were put forward by the police and local council. Venues must set targets for the number of customers to be searched each night for drugs.

Newcastle-under-Lyme council's Public Protection Committee has also set a minimum pricing policy aimed at stopping binge drinking through cheap drink promotions.

Mike Fallows, co-owner of Brassingtons, in the town's High Street, said a thorough drug search could take up to 10 minutes and would be classed as "a major insult" to customers.

He said: "This will give Newcastle a nasty image. It will become a town associated with drugs and unpleasant searches."It will become seedy and we will lose customers in droves. We should not turn people away unless we have definite proof they have done something wrong."

Andrew Nicholls, licensing and security manager for Mitchells and Butlers Retail who own Edwards in the High Street and Reflex in the Ironmarket, said the policy was geared towards nightclubs. He said: "This is going to create a serious and unnecessary burden and it's not proportionate to the problems in the town."

The council say there should be no physical contact involved in the searches, with staff asking people to empty pockets and open their bags.

Inspector Jeff Moore, of Newcastle police, said they were aiming for a "common approach across all pubs" so that individual venues would not be seen as easy targets by drug dealers.

The police believe searches could also catch people planning to spike drinks with date rape drugs, or carrying weapons.