Wigan hotspot for violence told to cut opening hours and add door staff

Councillors made the order after hearing from police that a woman and her friend barricaded themselves in Casino de Cuba’s toilets to hide from a “large-scale brawl” and feared someone would be killed.

Related: Woman and her friend locked themselves in a toilet as large-scale brawl erupted at Wigan nightspotThis incident at the Millgate bar-restaurant, along with other reported outbreaks of violence last month, triggered a review of its licence.

But the owners dispute police accounts and maintain the popular venue does not have a disorder issue.

Greater Manchester Police had called for the licence to be suspended but councillors opted to cut the hours of operation and made an order for more door staff to be employed.

These are interim measures pending a full licence review scheduled for next month.

Owner Andy Ballard, who represented the venue at the licensing hearing, said details in the reports had been exaggerated, adding: “If it was that bad they would have shut us down for 28 days, but they didn’t. I attended the committee with a solicitor and our head doorman, we kept our licence.”