Kelko bar in Hornsey to close for three months after riot

A late-night bar has been temporarily stripped of its licence after drunken customers attacked police in a prolonged street battle.

Bosses of Kelko Bar and Lounge will be forced to close for three months from May 30 to sort out a host of problems with the way it is being run.

Councillors ordered the temporary ban after hearing of police officers being pelted with bottles and bricks after 200 people spilled out of the bar into High Street in the early hours of the morning.

Officers were initially called to deal with complaints about noise, but soon noticed no bouncers on duty, heavily drunk customers, and a "strong smell of cannabis", on Saturday, March 12.

Manager Hardeep Dhanoa admitted he had lost control, as known gang members swigged from spirit bottles apparently taken from behind the bar, but when the premises was shut down for the night, the trouble escalated.

Police were forced to stay in their vans until back-up arrived as they feared being attacked, and eventually resorted to using CS gas to disperse the gangs.

Even then, Acting Sergeant Kamran Qureshi noted gang members "in the side streets carrying on fighting and arming themselves with debris and weapons."

Haringey Police called for a review of the premise's licence last week, when councillors decided to implement the three month suspension for the management to bring the bar back under their control.