THE owner of a nightclub in Grays failed to convince Thurrock Council to lift the suspension of his licence last night.

Essex Police requested an emergency review of the licence on Tuesday night following a mass brawl at the club, in Orsett Road, during the early hours of Saturday morning.

The council’s licensing sub-committee met again to hear representations from Entourage licensee Owen McLeod.

In a meeting which spanned three hours, Mr McLeod claimed that the brawl was a “one off incident”.

He said that it was a urban promotion night which saw 600 people in the club instead of the usual 400, and he had 18 door staff working instead of the usual ten to cater for the larger crowd.

Mr Mcleod also claimed that he had called the police and asked them to make their “presence known” outside at 1:30am, hours before the brawl took place at 4am.

At the end of the meeting committee chairman councillor Robert Gledhill said the committee was “more inclined to subscribe to the police’s version of events”.

He added: “We are convinced this was a very serious incident.”

The final hearing to decide the club’s fate will be held within the next 25 days.

Read the full story in next week's Gazette out Friday November 20.