Fabric saved from closure after police call for licence review over drug deaths

London nightclub Fabric has been saved from closure, following a licence review by Islington Council last night (19.12.14). The review was prompted by police, due to what was described as a "wholly unacceptable number of deaths and near death incidents at the venue". The was widessread support from clubbers and more than 25,000 people signed an online petition in a bid to save the nightclub from closure. In a report, police noted that in the last three years, eight people had collapsed in the club due to ecstasy use, four of whom died - the two most recent deaths in the last few months - including that of an eighteen year old girl whose death in September, police said, the club did not inform them about. Although Fabric was told that revoking its licence was being "seriously considered", the club was saved from closure at last night's meeting of decision makers at Islington Council after venue bosses agreed to tighter checks, including hiring seven sniffer dogs and their handlers to patrol the venue at a cost of £300 each per four hour shift. All clubbers will be subject to ID checks on entry, and the club agreed to increase CCTV coverage of the venue and to step up drug searches at the door - although the club said it would apeal against some of the measures which it did not agree with and put the four deaths in the context of 6 milllion visits over 15 years and a nationwide problem with dangerous MDMA. 

http://metro.co.uk/2014/12/18/thousands-of-clubbers-sign-save-fabric-petition-as-it-faces-closure-over-drug-deaths-4992758/