CCTV image shows aftermath after woman plunged through gap in staircase at retro bar

A retro-themed bar in Stalybridge has been shut down after a devastating accident left a customer with a brain bleed.

During the incident, on June 30,  a woman at Back to the 80s plunged through a gap in the staircase. It left her unconscious on the floor, a report found.

According to the victim’s family, she was left with a severe head injury, with bleeding from the wound and a significant headache. In the report, it was stated the Market Street venue ‘lost the faith’ of authorities, including Greater Manchester Police and Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, who called for its licence to be revoked at a hearing on January 20.

A licensing panel, which convened at the Tameside One building in Ashton to review the bar’s licence, was shown CCTV footage of the moment the woman fell. The short video clip showed her landing on the floor next to the toilets after falling through the gap at the side of the steps. 

Speaking of the incident on June 30, the bar owner Ian Whittaker accepted responsibility, but pointed a finger of blame at the security staff on the door on the night. He told the panel they are not personally hired by him and should not have let the woman and her group that night.

“I accept full responsibility for this,” Mr Whittaker said. “This incident would not have occurred if the door staff had not let them in. Bar staff had refused them service and they were asked to leave upon refusal.”

He added that the ‘intoxicated woman’ had requested to use the toilet before they left, which is when she fell down the stairs.

PC Craig Foley, also in attendance at the meeting, said: “You can see on the video the woman is absolutely legless. The bar staff didn’t do enough if they allowed her to go down the stairs.

“If they had directed her outside the venue we might not have been here today.”

Bar management was also criticised for continuing to trade without any remedial work taking place to rectify the staircase’s safety issues. This is something that has since been addressed.

Despite that safety issue being sorted out, a health and safety officer present at the meeting, Courtney Wright, said there was a lack of proper documentation to ensure health and safety standards could be met. Mr Wright also described the general housekeeping of the bar as poor following his inspection in September last year.

Back to the 80s was given a zero food hygiene rating following the inspection. 

A lack of documentation was also an issue for the fire safety officer, Jenna Cooper, who found a number of fire safety concerns during her inspection last September. 

When asked by PC Foley how customers would get out in the event of a fire, Ms Cooper replied: “They might not. If there is only one exit impeded by a fire there might be no way out.”

In response, Mr Whittaker produced a folder for the panel, which he claimed was the up to date version of the risk assessments and health and safety procedures. But the fire risk assessment in the folder was left blank when Ms Cooper took a glance. 

The Back to the 80s team were then asked why this folder wasn’t available in the seven months since the incident when these documents were being requested by authorities. 

After hearing all the evidence the chair, Coun Denise Ward, announced the panel’s decision to revoke the bar’s licence.