A TOWN centre bar has had its licence revoked after councillors watched CCTV footage of members of the RA gang openly snorting drugs on the premises.

Members of Bexley Council’s licensing sub-committee watched the footage as part of evidence produced by Bexley police to support their application for the licence of the Drayman in Crook Log, Bexleyheath, to be withdrawn.

The drug taking activities on the bar’s front patio were filmed over a period of time by the council’s CCTV on the evening of July 8.

At the request of police, an emergency licensing hearing was held on July 10 which suspended the bar’s licence for a week, and imposed extra licensing conditions, pending a full hearing.

Bexley police’s licensing officer PC Eddy Boston told the full hearing last week he had called in two officers from New Scotland Yard’s clubs and vice squad to visit the Drayman undercover on July 29, to see if drugs were still being used on the premises.

Their confidential statements to the sub-committee confirmed evidence of cocaine use on that evening.

The two women officers had found evidence of cocaine in the ladies toilets and seen people taking drugs.

A former door supervisor at the bar said he had agreed with the bar management that certain groups would be banned, only to find management was allowing them back into the Drayman through the side door, avoiding the Clubscan security.

He said the management had decided to reduce the number of security staff on duty at the bar, which made it difficult to monitor fully what was going on.

PC Boston said most of those taking drugs on July 8 had been identified as members of the RA gang.

The bar's solicitor Mark Blenkarne told the hearing the bar's licence holder, Ravi Chhokar, had been too distressed to attend after walking out during a viewing of the CCTV footage.

Instead, designated premises supervisor Andrew Court attended the hearing.

Mr Court said he and Mr Chhokar only knew one member of the gang.

Mr Court said they had allowed four or five members of the RA into the bar before and they had caused no problems.

On July 8 up to 40 members of the gang were present and Mr Court said he understood they were there to “wet the head” of a gang member’s new baby.

PC Boston said: “Have you not heard of the problems these people can cause; that Pubwatch considers it is undesirable to let them into your premises?”

Mr Court said: “When I saw the CCTV I was more shocked than anyone. I didn’t know they were connected to the RA.”

PC Boston also showed footage of three people outside the bar at 8.45am on July 9 who he said had come out of the side door of the bar One was unable to stand and PC Boston said the man had to be taken to hospital, foaming at the mouth.

The man had told staff he had been taking cocaine with ketamine, a horse tranquiliser.

PC Boston said another of the three men was a known drug dealer who had just been released from prison.

He said police had received a number of calls from the public about the incident.

PC Boston said two of the three had been recorded on Clubscan in the Drayman the previous evening and were still wearing the same clothes.

Mr Court said he was unaware of any overnight parties being held at the bar.

He said the bar had been forced to change its clientelle in recent months because the 18 to 21-year-olds were the only people with money to spend.

He said the bar was now busiest on Wednesday and Thursday as a result, but often shut at 11pm on other nights and sometimes did not open at all.

Mr Blenkarne said the bar was prepared to put a supervisor in the ladies toilets if required.

He said it had already installed Clubscan and had stationed a door supervisor permanently on the patio as required by the emergency licensing hearing.

He suggested the sub-committee could suspend the bar's licence for three months to get things sorted out.

PC Boston told the sub-committee: "You have got to ask yourselves 'is the management capable of dealing with the situation?' and if the answer is no, you have got to take the decision to revoke the licence."

The sub-committee said it was “satisfied the management of the premises had the knowledge and ability to prevent drug taking at the premises, but were unable or unwilling to do so.”

The bar was given 21 days to appeal.