A pub suspected of being a 'hub for criminals' has been saved from closure after CCTV footage corroborated the landlord's account of events of a night when 'substances' and a knife were found.
The Queens Hotel in Monsall had its alcohol licence temporarily suspended after 87 bags of 'substances' and an eight-inch knife were found at the pub.
A 'large amount' of alcohol was also found in the toilets, and in a nearby storage container, and a walkie talkie was found near the entrance of the pub.
READ MORE: Pub shut down after 87 bags of 'substances' and eight-inch knife seized
The pub lost its alcohol licence pending a full review after police seized the items from the premises, but the 'interim steps' were later withdrawn.
A panel of Manchester councillors met on Tuesday (December 21) to decide whether any further action would need to be taken against the premises.
It comes after staff at the pub failed to provide CCTV footage of the incident which police attended at the Sedgeford Road premises on November 24.
People were spotted leaving the pub when the police arrived, but the owner claims they tried to use it as a 'rat run' and dumped the items at the premises.
A total of 87 bags of powder and 'rock like' substances were seized by police together with an eight-inch knife in a sheath and a 'large amount of alcohol'.
Speaking at a licensing hearing two days later, PC Stuart Hammersley told a panel of councillors he suspected the individually-wrapped bags contained cocaine, heroin and crack, but they had not been tested yet.
He told the panel the police have 'serious concerns' about the premises.
The licensing sub committee, which met via video conference on November 26, suspended the pub's licence with immediate effect pending a full review.
That decision was reversed after a hearing held in private four days later after the pub's owner managed to extract CCTV footage from the incident.
A summary review was held by the licensing sub committee hearing panel on Tuesday (December 21) to decide whether any further action is necessary.
In a statement submitted on behalf of Greater Manchester Police, PC Alan Isherwood said the CCTV footage showed the incident in 'a different light'.
He said: "Having had a chance to review this incident and, after having a discussion with my GMP colleagues, we are satisfied that the items did end up on the premises as a result of the males seeing my colleagues arrive in their liveried police vehicles and running into the premises in a bid to dispose of their drugs and other items as a means to evade the police, by running out of the rear door."
However, the police officer was still concerned that the person in charge was unable to operate the CCTV system immediately after the incident took place.
The conditions of the premise licence have now been updated, requiring that trained staff are able to provide CCTV footage at the request of authorities.
An incident log must also be kept at the premises for at least six months.
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