Unlicensed Walsall bar linked with drug-taking, violence and noise closed by police

West Midlands Police linked Lexx Jerkz Bar and Grill in Bridge Street with drug-taking, incidents of violence and unreasonable levels of noise.

The bar will now be closed for three months after the force secured a Closure Order at Walsall Magistrates Court on Friday.

No-one is allowed into the property, which has now been boarded up, something the force said would be "a huge relief to local people living nearby who had complained about loud noise and fights breaking out outside the venue keeping them up until the early morning".

The venue had its licence revoked back in November last year by Walsall Council’s licensing sub-committee.

Inspector Janine Fagan, Partnerships Manager at Walsall LPA, said: “Venues are bound by tight regulations to ensure customers are kept safe, such as security, CCTV and staff training and disturbance is kept to a minimum for people living nearby.

"This venue flouted the rules and was still trading despite not having a licence. The safety of the public will always be the number one priority for us and we are delighted to see the three month closure order has been granted.”

Inspector Pete Poolton, Inner Sector Neighbourhood Manager at Walsall LPA, added: “We cannot tolerate premises where appropriate measures are either not in place or not managed correctly.

"The safety of the public cannot be compromised. We will not tolerate premises which are mismanaged and attracting crime.”

The police requested the licence was withdrawn after they revealed evidence of cannabis being smoked inside the premises and incidents of violent assaults and robberies linked to the venue.

There was also breaches of the premises licence including trading beyond its reasonable hours.

The owners lodged an appeal and continued trading while they waited for the court date, but in February Lexx Jerkz Limited was dissolved.

However, despite the business having no licence in place as the trade name no longer existed, the venue continued to trade.

The successful granting of the Closure Order came about through close working between officers from Walsall Partnerships team and Walsall’s Inner Sector Neighbourhood team.