Weston-super-Mare fish and chip shop removes ‘weapon’ benches

Picnic benches outside a seafront fish and chip shop that police warned could be “used as weapons” by passers-by have been removed from the area.

Michelle Michael, who owns the Waterfront Fish Bar as well as the Grand Pier, in Weston-super-Mare, was told by police to remove the blue picnic tables.

At a licensing review hearing at North Somerset Council on 2 September, police licensing officer Andy Manhire warned any furniture left outside could be used as weapons during late hours.

Ms Michael argued she had not seen any anti-social behaviour involving the furniture outside her premises since it opened in 2010. She also said the tables, at about 100kg (220lb) each, were not “throwable”.

Mr Manhire said the benches “could be thrown or moved, thereby causing a danger to pedestrians or vehicles”.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the Waterfront Fish Bar’s benches were located in the “flow of drunks” down Regent Street.

The hearing had been called so the restaurant could apply to remove a condition of its licence, which required its tables to be packed away at night, as the new tables were too large to be put away in the fish restaurant.

But instead of a quick formal process to change its licence, the councillors on the licensing subcommittee agreed with the police and ordered Waterfront Fish Bar to remove the tables in the near future.

At the hearing, owner Ms Michael pointed out the recycled plastic picnic tables weighed about 100kg (220lb) each and were not “throwable.”

She said: “We have been operating the site since 2010 and we have not seen any anti-social behaviour involving the use of furniture.”

Although the tables have now been removed from Regent Street, four of them remain in place just around the corner on private property which is outside of council control.