THE licensee of Margate’s Winter Gardens has been fined £750 and ordered to pay £300 costs after being found guilty of breaching two of the conditions of the venue’s public entertainment licence.

Steven Davis, general manager of the popular seaside venue, said an appeal is to be launched against the decision.

Mr Davis of Trinity Square, Margate, appeared before Thanet Magistrates following a visit by licensing officers from the district council to the theatre complex on Friday, January 28.

A Thanet council spokeswoman said: "The officers asked to see the manager and any door supervisors who were working that evening.

"One door supervisor was registered, but the other was not and had been refused registration on two occasions.

"The officers then asked to see the register of door supervisors, but the deputy assistant manager was unable to produce it.

"Two of the conditions attached to the public entertainment licence are that premises should only use registered door supervisors and that a register of door supervisors must be maintained, including names, addresses, duty dates and signatures."

Mr Davis said: "We still do not believe that our internal security needed to be registered door supervisors and we are appealing against the decision."

Cllr Margaret Sheldrick, chairman of the licensing board, said: "The council owns and rents out a variety of premises and any lessee is treated in exactly the same way as any other licence holder.

"If licencing conditions are breached, then we will take action, which can result in prosecution, as happened in this case.

"Our officers do an excellent job in very difficult circumstances and the outcome in this particular case seems more than fair."