The owner of the former MuMu’s nightclub, King Street, Mr Cam Mu was fined £24,000 with £3,500 COSTS after pleading guilty to two charges of a failure to ensure that members of the public were not exposed to risks to their health or safety, resulting in an injury, contrary to Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, and a failure to report an injury to a member of the public arising from a work activity that resulted in him being taken directly to hospital, contrary to Regulation 3 of the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995.

Mr Mu was also disqualified as a company director as the case was brought against him as a director of the company that ran the club until it closed under S37 of the 1974 Act.

Mr Cam Mu has previous convictions for breaches of licencing and food safety law in relation to premises in Weston-super-Mare and at MuMus. He is a director of 5 companies.

In February 2008 Health and Safety Inspectors from Bristol City Council’s Public Health Services Team inspected MuMu’s nightclub, King St, Welsh Back, Bristol.

This inspection followed an application from the police for a review of the premises licence, and the inspectors found serious public safety risks due to lack of maintenance and poor standards of management. Hazards found included bare live wires in public areas and other electrical defects; broken glass in windows, mirrors and light fittings; exit routes obstructed with rubbish; gas cylinders stored in the basement; and toilets in a generally very dirty and dilapidated condition.

They immediately served a Prohibition Notice regarding the dangerous electrics and sent a letter listing all defects requiring urgent attention, and later served 2 Improvement Notices in relation to poor safety management at the club.

In March the Council was contacted by a member of the public about an injury that he had received at MuMu’s on the night of 1/2 March 2008. He said that he had fallen in the basement WCs at the club and on putting his hand out to save himself had cut his wrist on the broken tiles to the wall of the cubicle. He severed the tendons, artery and nerves and lost a large amount of blood. He was taken to hospital by ambulance where he had a 6 hour operation, followed by a further operation for a skin graft. Damaged wall tiles were one of the hazards that had been pointed out by the inspectors after their visit on 14 February.

The club had closed for business on 4 March 2008. and the company went into voluntary liquidation on 16 June 2008.

Cllr Gary Hopkins, Cabinet Member for Environment and Community Safety said,

“Our Public Health Services team work to support local businesses to provide services in a safe and efficient way. However when a business is run in a way that endangers customers or staff we take firm action. We are determined to do all we can to protect the public. The size of the fine reflects the seriousness of this case”.