Kink club temporarily closes over safety concerns

A kink club's sex act area does not have sufficient lighting and could cause a "trip hazard", inspectors have ruled.

Bristol's Dare To has been closed down for three months to give the venue's boss, Cheryl Brice, time to make rapid improvements.

Bristol City Council's licensing sub-committee also heard there were fire safety and electricity concerns flagged during the latest inspection, when a demonstration was staged tying volunteers with rope and suspending them from the ceiling.

In response to a police application to revoke her designated premises supervisor (DPS) title, her solicitor Piers Warne said Brice is "keen to demonstrate she is the right person to be the DPS".

The venue is mainly used for fetish and bondage, discipline, dominance and submission (BDSM) nights, but also hosts club nights, live music and fundraiser events.

David Jefferies, council health and safety lead, said issues included the overloading of extension cables on electrical sockets near the DJ booth and a large broken mirror "which, if shattered, could cause serious harm".

These problems have now been addressed, the Local Democracy Reporting Service has heard.

Louise Mowbray, police licensing officer, said there had been a pattern of Brice cancelling meetings with authorities at the last minute since 2022.

"This is out of the ordinary. This is a failure to engage with the authorities," Mowbray said.

She added that Brice had previously claimed she was registered as a door supervisor with the Security Industry Authority (SIA), but then backtracked and said that had expired, only to later admit she did not have an SIA licence.

Warne confirmed Brice does not have a SIA licence, but emphasised she "did undertake a four-week SIA training course".

"There was one occasion when she put her name down in the SIA book. There is learning from that," he said.

He went on to say Brice accepts she has "let people down in terms of standards".

"She is very keen to demonstrate she is the right person to be the DPS.

"This is not a case where she is cavalier with the safety of guests," Warne added.

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