Bar shut down after woman involved in devastating incident

A retro-themed bar in Stalybridge has been shut down after a devastating accident left a punter with a brain bleed.

During the incident, on June 30, 2024, a customer at Back to the 80s plunged through a gap in the staircase. It left her unconscious on the floor, a report found.

According to the victim’s family, she was left with a severe head injury, with bleeding from the wound and a significant headache.

In the report, it was stated the Market Street venue ‘lost the faith’ of authorities, including Greater Manchester Police and Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, who called for its licence to be revoked at a hearing on January 20.

A licensing panel, which convened at the Tameside One building in Ashton to review the bar’s licence, was shown CCTV footage of the moment the woman fell. The short video clip showed her landing on the floor next to the toilets after falling through the gap at the side of the steps.

Speaking of the incident on June 30, the bar owner Ian Whittaker accepted responsibility, but pointed a finger of blame at the security staff on the door on the night. He told the panel they are not personally hired by him and should not have let the woman and her group that night.

“I accept full responsibility for this,” Mr Whittaker said. “This incident would not have occurred if the door staff had not let them in. Bar staff had refused them service and they were asked to leave upon refusal.”

He added that the ‘intoxicated woman’ had requested to use the toilet before they left, which is when she fell down the stairs.

PC Craig Foley, also in attendance at the meeting, said: “You can see on the video the woman is absolutely legless. The bar staff didn’t do enough if they allowed her to go down the