Police want to close down a Harrow bar after a fight left two men with stab wounds to the neck.

Officers have been called to multiple incidents at Seán Óg since 2018, including violent fights, people smoking weed outside the pub, noise complaints and anti-

Previously called TJ’s Sports Bar until 2020, Metropolitan Police have requested that the premises on the High Street in Wealdstone, have its licence reviewed to tackle the ongoing issues.

Officers said it was necessary to prevent crime and uphold public safety.

Over the last five years, officers were called to the premises nine times.

Incidents included a group of men smoking cannabis outside before heading inside with a lit joint, a report of violence resulting in grievous bodily harm, and a case of criminal damage.

When attending, the police reported that the bar had also broken its licence agreement on a number of occasions by staying open beyond its agreed opening times, selling alcohol after its agreed time, and not having working CCTV.

However, a serious incident earlier this year prompted the police to submit a formal review of the premises licence to Harrow Council.

In March, a violent fight broke out between six men during the early hours of the morning, when the pub should have already closed.

A total of five men were taken to hospital, including one man who was stabbed in the neck, alongside cuts to his head, arm and hands after being attacked by a man with a sharp object.

A second man had a smaller cut to the neck, as well as slashes to his hand from trying to defend himself. 

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The incident, which was captured on CCTV, began after an altercation between one group of men and two other men.

The footage also shows chairs being thrown and people being hit with pool cues. The two men together were both arrested for grievous bodily harm (GBH), following an investigation.

The police application for licence review says: “The concern with the venue is that it operated outside of its permitted hours. Had it been shut, the incident would not have occurred.

“They had to be reminded of the hours and did not seem to realise they were in breach of their licence, despite two previous warnings.”

Both Harrow Council and the police licensing team have tried to engage with the licence holder after incidents. Council documents say that they “did not seem overly concerned” about the incident or previous warnings and it “appeared the main priority was to keep a late-night licence in order to remain afloat”.

Licensing officers have recommended that the pub is closed down as they have a “lack of confidence” in the licence holder and bar manager after “consistent failures” despite warning letters. Alternatively, they suggest that amendments should be made to it at a minimum.

The proposed changes include closing the premises at 11pm every day – as opposed to 12:20am Monday to Friday and 1:30am on Saturday and Sunday’s – removal of the pool cues when the table is not in use, more than one person to be working past 7pm, and Security Industry Authority (SIA) approved security to be employed.

A decision on whether to revoke Seán Óg’s licence or just make changes to it will be decided by Harrow Council’s licensing panel next week (June 13).