A Surbiton bar owner has hit back at claims his establishment is a late-night trouble spot, and said he is being penalised for reporting crime to police.
Corky’s wine bar in Claremont Road has attracted several complaints from neighbours, who want Kingston Council to remove its licence, and it was raised as a problem at a Surbiton police panel meeting last week.
Blood was splattered in the road outside after a fight on July 19, leading the bar to display a sign on the window saying: “Due to violent attacks on staff and customers there will be no admissions after midnight”.
Owner Robert Hedley denied they were customers, but troublemakers he refused to let inside.
Councillor Ian George, who lives in a flat a few doors away, witnessed one man lying flat on the pavement with a cut to his face.
Minutes later, another man was being beaten with a bottle in the road.
He said: “He was lucky he wasn’t killed because people were kicking and hitting him as he lay on the floor.
"It was only because his girlfriend sat on his head that it stopped it from being really serious.”
Police attended the scene but said no arrests were made because the victim would not co-operate.
Coun George claims the incident is the latest in a string of problems and he has complained many times about noise and drinking in the street.
He said: “The licensing officers have acted on my complaints, but still the problems continue. Where does it stop and why should we have to put up with this?
“It can be very intimidating for people late at night and this sort of thing can encourage a sense of lawlessness around the area.”
Owner Mr Hedley said he was taking a tough line on drug users in his bar but resents getting a bad reputation when he reports it to police.
He was angry the bar was raided by officers at 1am on Saturday, August 1, after he showed good will and tipped them off about troublemakers in the past.
He emphasised that no drugs were found and said Coun George’s complaints are motivated by political gain.
St Mark’s ward Sergeant Darren Mercer said: “It was not a drugs raid, it was a licensing visit.
"We’re not trying to close him down, it’s about addressing what’s going wrong.”
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