Security camera footage of a patron ejected from a Christchurch bar taking off with the establishment’s footpath sign in an Uber has been viewed tens of thousands of times on Facebook.
The Miller Bar owner Michelle Cattell told The Star she has agreed to remove the video, which had been viewed more than 41,000 on Tuesday, after pleas from the woman and her husband to take the footage down.
The woman and her husband had been at the Ed Sheeran concert before going to The Miller Bar on Lincoln Rd.
The woman was told to leave the bar because of her behaviour, which included vaping in the pokie room and abusing staff and patrons before and after being refused a drink.
When the bar was closing about 1am on Sunday, Cattell realised the sign was gone.
"We checked up and down the street and in bushes looking for it, but couldn't find it, so we then checked the (CCTV) cameras," she said.
Footage showed the woman getting out of the passenger seat in an Uber, going to the sign and the Uber driver opening the boot and helping put the sign in. The vehicle then drives off.
Said Cattell: "I work bloody hard and long hours at the bar to ensure people are safe, happy and having a good time.
"To have someone come in and steal from me is a real kick in the guts."
Cattell then put the footage on The Miller Bar's Facebook page, asking for help to find the sign.
On Sunday, Cattell received an email from the woman's husband apologising for "borrowing" the sign, saying “we were extremely drunk and didn't know what time of day it was.”
He told Cattell the sign had been returned and was at the front of the bar, and asked if she could take the Facebook post down.
Cattell said once she got an apology from his wife she would consider removing the video.
After "babysitting your wife and making sure everyone else was happy, it was the last thing I wanted to do (try and find the sign),” she told him.
The woman sent an email apologising to Cattell following her husband's message.
She said "they have been having a hard time of late and had a complete blowout on the drink".
Said Cattell: "That's no excuse, we all go through hard times, but we still have to be respectful to people and property".
