Newcastle licensees slam drug searches

Licensees in Newcastle-under-Lyme claim they will lose customers "in droves" when a controversial drug search policy comes into force in the town centre. The new proposals will apply to venues with an entertainment licence and a capacity of more than 200 and were put forward by the police and local council. They include venues setting targets for the number of customers to be searched each night for drugs and a minimum pricing policy aimed at stopping binge drinking through cheap drink promotions. Members of the borough council's Public Protection Committee this week voted for a three-month trial despite fears from licensees that the move will deter customers and create a bad image for the town. Mike Fallows, co-owner of Brassingtons, in the 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 & Butlers Retail, which owns 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." Debbie Dimock, the borough council's head of legal and democratic services, said there would be no physical contact involved in the searches. Door staff would simply ask people to empty pockets and open their bags and anyone who refused would be turned away.