A South Dunedin bar previously in trouble for gang brawls and overt intoxication is in trouble again after a series of incidents, including having inebriated staff on duty.
Heff's Hotel in South Dunedin will have its licence suspended for a week and Stephen Clark will lose his manager's licence for six weeks after the Alcohol and Licensing Authority (ARLA) identified problems during three separate incidents.
The ruling follows the hotel getting in trouble after a wake for a former Mongrel Mob member ended in a fight in 2012.
On February 23 police discovered the bar open outside licence hours for a Guinness Book of World Records attempt to do the most haircuts in 24 hours.
The discovery preceded an incident on Anzac Day when police found 12 people in the bar during a compliance check.
A report explaining the ruling by ARLA said Mr Clark was intoxicated and when police asked to speak to duty manager Jessie
Matheson, he said she was upstairs putting children to bed.
Mr Clark denied being intoxicated.
"When Miss Matheson came from behind the bar she appeared intoxicated and had bloodshot eyes and was moving slowly and her speech was slurred,'' the report said.
Police said while Miss Matheson first denied having had a drink she later admitted to having one glass of wine, as well as saying: "One bottle, I mean glass''.
Miss Matheson admitted to police she had fallen asleep during the shift.
When asked about food options for patrons she said she bought fish and chips from the shop next door.
The report also said the front doors of the bar were locked on Christmas Day but the rear was open and police found about 20 "moderately to highly intoxicated'' people inside.
Chilly bins at the front door and behind the bar had bottles of beer and wine and them and no food or duty manager was there.
Mr Clark said he knew alcohol could not be sold on Christmas Day and he did not sell alcohol.
The event, which he had run for several years, involved people bringing their own alcohol and socialising, he said.
The authority found the event "circumvented one of the sacrosanct days of the year''.
Mr Clark said he did not think he had done anything wrong and the police had been looking for reasons to close the premises.
The authority said the breaches showed Mr Clark had "little regard'' for his obligations under the law.
The hotel was suspended from selling alcohol for a week starting on September 24.
Miss Matheson had her manager's certificate suspended for eight weeks from September 24 and Mr Clark would lose his for six weeks from November 19.
Mr Clark did not respond to requests for an interview.
