HORLEY'S nightclub was shut down by police in the early hours of Saturday – but reopened that night after officers made a mistake in their paperwork.
Police say they were so concerned about the boozed-up state of revellers at Flirt nightclub in Consort Way that by 2.30am on Saturday, they ordered the music to stop and the 170 clubbers inside to leave.
The immediate closure notice – called a section 161 order – should have been in place for 24 hours, preventing the club from reopening on Saturday night, but it bore the wrong date – April 21 instead of April 26.
Club owner Gray Coe, who was last month convicted of being in possession of a Taser, opened the club that evening, when police returned in force.
Mr Coe said they threatened to close him down, but could take no action due to the date blunder. Now Mr Coe has threatened to sue the force.
Meanwhile, officers said evidence gathered at the weekend would be added to the police file on the club and presented to licensing authority Reigate and Banstead Borough Council to hold a licensing review.
Neighbourhood inspector Richard Haycock said: "We had officers from the alcohol enforcement team there on Friday night.
"They were so concerned with what they saw inside the club that they referred the matter to a duty inspector, who decided to enact a closure order.
"Unfortunately, due to human error, there was a mistake in the paperwork which enabled Mr Coe to exploit that and open on Saturday.
"But, using the evidence we gathered at the weekend, along with previous evidence we have gathered before, we will be pursuing a licence review. It is a matter for the licensing authority – we put what we have in front of them."
Mr Coe, who says police have raided him three times since he opened the club in December – including New Year's Eve when the Taser was seized – denied that everyone inside was intoxicated on Friday and pledged to go on the offensive.
He has made a complaint and said he plans to sue.
"I feel victimised," he said.
"I am trying to start a new business and constantly being pressured by the police.
"They are obviously either not happy with me or the club where it is."
Inspector Haycock refuted Mr Coe's claims that 50 officers had been deployed to the nightclub on Saturday evening.
