A social club claims it is the victim of a vendetta after police were told customers were flouting coronavirus rules.
Officers visited Blakelaw Social Club, in Newcastle, on Monday following reports customers had stopped social distancing.
However, a member of staff told ChronicleLive that police were happy with what they found.
And they suspect the complainant is someone who is currently barred from the Cragston Way club.
"This person is someone who has had a grievance against us for a while," claimed the male staff member, who didn't give his name.
"They were barred before and we gave the police their initials, and they just laughed, and we think it was that guy.
"But it isn't a big deal, the police were quite happy with what was going on."
Following the police's visit, the club took to Facebook to remind customers to adhere to the new Government rules, adding some staff depended on the venue staying open to support their children.
"The last thing we want is the police closing the club during these unprecedented times," stated the post, which reaffirmed the club's stance that no rules had been broken.
Venues caught breaking the tough new rules face closure under measures announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson to fight off a dreaded second wave of Covid-19.
Customers have been urged to only visit pubs with people in their households, while venues must stick to table service and a 10pm curfew.
Usually, council officials would take the lead on enforcing venues suspected of flouting the rules.
However, Northumbria Police confirmed it had received a report that people "weren’t socially distancing at the premises".
"We attended and engaged with those present, explained the restrictions and encouraged them to follow the regulations," the force said.
