Unsightly fly posters prompt councillor to report nightclubs

FIVE of Birmingham’s most popular nightclubs and bars have been reported to city licensing chiefs over illegal fly-posting to promote events at their venues.

Campaigning Conservative councillor Gareth Moore said he was fed-up of seeing placards and posters plastering street lamps, fences and walls in his Erdington ward and called for review of the venues licences.

Councillor Moore said the posters were a distraction to motorists and could dangerously block lines of sight at busy junctions. They also made the area look untidy, were left to rot long after the event and cost the council and its highways contractor Amey money and time to clean up and scrape off.

The five venues he has reported are the The Rainbow Venues of Lower Trinity Street, Digbeth; Amusement 13 in Kent Street ; Lab 11 in Trent Street, Digbeth; Players in Broad Street, and the Hare & Hounds in King’s Heath where notices were put up outside the venues.

Councillor Moore said he also planned to report several more.

The council’s licensing department will meet with both sides, hear the complaint and, if upheld, a licensing committee could amend or in extreme cases revoke the licence.

Councillor Moore said: “I want the venues to take responsibility and crack down on this.”

He said he has been forced to call for licensing reviews because too often venues refuse to take action when approached directly over the issue.

“Where the venues are persistent offenders then they should be closed. Fly-posting is illegal and a reputable business should not be doing it. In some cases I don’t want the licence revoked. The Hare and Hounds had an issue with a single promoter and I am told has banned them.

“But I would like to see strong conditions attached to licences to stop them or their promoters flyposting. A gentlemen’s agreement does not work, it can be ignored.”

Council head of licensing, Chris Neville, said: “Requests for a premises’ licence to be reviewed can be made by residents if they believe one of the licensing objectives – such as the prevention of crime and disorder – is being breached. And in this case, fly posting is an illegal activity.

“As a leading entertainment centre, Birmingham often faces the widespread problem of illegal fly posting, so the council expects licence holders to ensure any advertising does not cause nuisance or result in criminal offences.”