'Being a DJ at Baa Bar never felt like work - I loved every single minute of it'

NOTTINGHAM nightspot Baa Bar has closed its doors for good after 15 years.

- By LYNETTE PINCHESS

The late-night haunt in Goose Gate, Hockley, was once part of a chain with venues also in Manchester and Leeds, but now only one in Liverpool remains.

In 2017, the bar was named as one of the three most dangerous in Nottingham and warned that it would be shut down if it didn't improve in a crackdown on violence.

But, DJ Chris Hailes, who worked there almost from the beginning, said the reputation was unjustified. "I wouldn't have worked there if it was slightly dangerous and I feel every member of staff that worked there would feel the same. Everything was honest and transparent, even tiny little incidents we had the police involved to take away any wrongdoers.

"Anyone found with drugs on them was detained and arrested which made Baa Bar look 'the most dangerous' when in fact it was the cleanest and safest.

"I think people of Nottingham eventually gave up trying to get in because it was so strict and the disappointment after walking all the way to the edge of Hockley to be told 'not tonight' just put people off."