Ripley nightclub loses licence after officers assaulted and man stabbed

A nightclub has had its licence revoked after 47 incidents over the course of a year including someone being stabbed and another being glassed.

Derbyshire Police says the action has been taken against Speed 9761 Ltd, the owners of Crib Bar on Church Street in Ripley.

In the year from October 2021, officers say 47 incidents were recorded inside or outside the premises.

Several incidents happened on 31 October 2021, including a man who was stabbed 3 times in the abdomen and a police officer being assaulted while trying to disperse customers

A dispersal order was granted that night to try and clear customers away from the venue and reopen Church Street after it was closed by police.

A licence hearing took place at Amber Valley Borough Council on 3 February 2023 where a panel was told other incidents associated with the venue included a knuckleduster attack.

Solicitor Nicholas Leviseur, who appeared representing Crib Bar, argued the police's case was "unfair" and "unhelpful" given the amount of work the bar had done with police. He argued the bar was being run "by a man who takes his responsibilities seriously".

But Amber Valley Borough Council's licencing panel disagreed and voted to revoke the licence of the bar. Police Constable Ady Clarke, the Licensing Officer for Derbyshire police, said: "While it's sad that one of Ripley's night-time venues has closed in this manner the time had come for action to be taken.

"We had several discussions with regards to the Crib Bar's violent incidents, compliance, and 'Free' promotions, which gave us concerns. As far as we were concerned it was only a matter of time before another violent incident took place at the venue and the consequences of that could've been so much worse than had already happened.

"We welcome the decision of the licensing panel and will continue to work with licence holders in Ripley and across the county to ensure that our city and town centres are as safe as possible for people to enjoy a drink and a night out."