FOGGY'S wine bar and restaurant is under the magnifying glass following breaches of licensing laws, including several instances of alleged under- age drinking. With its licence currently up for review by East Hampshire District Council (EHDC) on January 18, several notices on the St Peter's Road building point to further breaches. They include evidence of under-age drinking on the premises, and serving alcohol, playing music and staying open beyond permitted hours. Noise and disturbance concerns are also raised about the large number of customers regularly standing outside the front doors, drinking from bottles and glasses and smoking, while the licence regarding entry after 11pm is also being breached. Now in the middle of the busy festive period, the New Year's Eve event at Foggy's was granted a temporary licence by EHDC on December 21, despite strong objections from police. Landlady Suzanne Latham would not comment on the licence review, but looked forward to an old school, ticket-only event on New Year's Eve, following the decision. "We are very pleased about it," she said. "It has been a bit rushed, but it was a positive result." Meanwhile, a group on the networking website Facebook has been set up by 'Foggys Bar' to prompt positive correspondence with EHDC. "Just let them know all the good points about Foggy's, like it's a nice safe environment," it says. "This is all to do with the police and council, trying to give us hassle over a number of issues, and you lot as out beloved customers have a voice to say what you need to," it adds. Angela Howell, EHDC's principal licensing officer, commented: "We are concerned about that [Facebook group], and don't think the licensing committee is going to be very impressed about it."
