News Beat
Boss of pool cue attack bar fears closure as licence changed
Members of Bury Council’s licensing panel were shown CCTV footage of a man being brutally attacked with a pool cue in Overdraught Bar, Blackburn Street, Radcliffe, during a review requested by police on Wednesday (December 3).
The clip, from around 1.15am on November 9, showed a man allegedly being violently struck by a customer armed with a pool cue three times, while patrons and staff looked on.
Greater Manchester Police requested the licence review because they believed ‘the premises are associated with serious crime and disorder’.
The panel imposed changes to the licence of Overdraught, which require registered door staff at weekends, no pool to be played after 10pm, with cues and balls locked away and plastic glasses only after 9pm.
After the panel announced their decision, licensee Alistair Johnson, who has run Overdraught for 15 years, said, ‘I’ll stay open till Christmas, then I’ll shut on the first of January’, before leaving the meeting abruptly.
The panel heard from police licensing officer PC Peter Eccleston, who said that on November 9, the force received a report of a serious assault on a customer who had been allegedly hit over the back of the head with a pool cue at Overdraught.
Police said that, according to a witness, the assault continued outside the premises, with incident logs stating it was alleged that the victim was struck again by a pool cue.
Force logs stated the victim had a deep cut to the back of the head and a large swelling to his forearm.
The panel was told that no arrests had been made in relation to the incident.
The hearing heard that the premises had been associated with three other incidents of violence within the past two years.
In January 2024, two customers were attacked with knives outside the premises. A council licence review at that time recommended door staff be employed.
In March 2025, there was a report made to police of a man being ‘bottled’ at Overdraught after a dispute with another customer near the pool table.
At 1.40am on June 14 this year, PC Eccleston said that a report was made that a 17-year-old male had been attacked in the toilets at Overdraught after two men ‘set on him’, leaving him with injuries to the face.
PC Eccleston said that despite police investigations, no arrests had been made after all four of the allegedly violent incidents he described.
Licensee Alistair Johnson told the panel that since the council imposed interim restrictions, including the need for registered door staff at weekends, ‘the bar has been a better place’.
He said: “I’ve felt safer and I think my customers have as well. I’m happy to keep two doormen on, have the plastic glasses in place from 9pm at weekends and for the pool table to go off at 10pm.
However, he requested that he be allowed to use non-accredited security firms providing licensed door staff to make costs cheaper and his business sustainable.
After the panel imposed the original condition of having accredited door staff, Mr Johnson said: “It’s done isn’t it? “I’ll stay open till Christmas and shut on the first of January.
“I’ve asked you, and I’ve been told no to everything. I’ll be shut in three weeks.”
