A BUSINESSMAN has won his battle to keep a Witney nightclub open.

Police claimed The Palace nightclub in the town's Market Square was a threat to public order and its owner Reg Neale was an unfit person to hold a licence.

Mr Neale lodged an appeal with Witney magistrates after police objected to the renewal of the club's drinks licence at the annual licensing sessions in February.

At the two-day hearing Mr Neale refuted claims by the police that the club was used for uncontrolled late drinking, one of his bouncers offered to supply drugs to two undercover police women, non-members were admitted and he was unco-operative with police.

Sgt Chris Tarrant said a log showed 64 incidents at the club since 1993, many of which he put down to poor management and incompetent staff - particularly doormen - employed in a senior capacity.

But Mr Neale said: "I am sure my doormen are the correct characters to be there and they are not involved in drugs. To the best of our ability the club is drug free and because of that we have lost a lot of business."

The chairman of the magistrates, Bernard Youngs, said: "We find no evidence that these licensed premises have been ill conducted and no evidence that drug abuse occurred there. There is insufficient evidence to support the claim Mr Neale is an unfit person and while we are concerned about any public order offences, given the use of the premises, we do not think they are excessive."

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