A Saturday night brawl has forced a Blackpool bar to close its doors.

Notorious on Queen Street will remain shut pending a review of its licence by the council. Today, a sign pasted to the front window of the bar said the request to close the premises had been made by the police.

It added the reason the review had been requested was because “the chief officer of policies of the opinion the premises are associated with serious crime”. Members of the public are also asked to make any representations to the council by May 5.

Owner Matthew Crook revealed the fight broke out as the bar was due to close at 4am. He said: “It was a very serious incident. A fight broke out and it got a bit messy. Our security had to get involved to break it up. We are taking this very seriously.

“We will remain closed until the licence is reviewed, but we would have done that anyway after this incident. I am sure the suspension will be lifted and am confident we will not lose our licence.”

Notorious opened in 2024 as a R&B and cocktail bar but was relaunched in January with many cheap booze offers. Customers could enjoy unlimited drinks until midnight for just £12. After midnight drinks, including shots, cost just £2.

Mr Crook said he and his partner wanted to open the bar after spotting a closed down business that had potential. He said: “We’re from Blackpool so we wanted to do our bit to get another place up and running.”

Lancashire Police have been approached for comment.