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Lancing cannabis café stays sealed off

4:00pm Friday 24th October 2008 in


Lancing’s infamous cannabis café remains closed after a raid.

The heavily fortified building was sealed off and remained empty yesterday following the arrest of its owner, Mike Allday, 43, on Wednesday.

The café opened in January 2007 following the closure of a number of similar venues in Worthing and the building has been shut down temporarily on previous occasions.

But following seven raids in two years, including one occasion when a tractor was used to pull down a wall, senior police officers believe they have finally managed to close the business.

Gates leading to the café, in Freshbrook Road, have been shut and bolted and the entrance to the building is boarded up.

Police confirmed that a closure order had not been served on the building and there was nothing to prevent it being reopened.

A spokesman for Sussex Police told The Argus: “It has just been very securely sealed and there was no one there this morning.”

On Wednesday, police executed a series of warrants in Lancing and Worthing and five people were arrested on suspicion of supplying cannabis. Three of them were arrested at the café.

Mr Allday was arrested with a 39-year-old woman in Worthing. All five were bailed yesterday. No significant quantity of cannabis was found.

One of those arrested said: “All our phones have been kept by the police. We don’t know what is happening to the café.”

News of the closure has been welcomed by East Worthing and Shoreham MP Tim Loughton.

He admitted the authorities had been powerless to close the café because of its heavy fortifications and called for a change in the law to prevent other cannabis cafés opening.

He said: “The council have appeared powerless to take any action which has understandably been exasperating for residents but I know how hard the police have been working behind the scenes.

“The law needs to be changed to prevent this sort of business from starting up again elsewhere. There are currently too many loopholes.”

Do you think the law needs to be changed? Tell us below.

Comments(29)

Dufus says...
4:08pm Fri 24 Oct 08

Where are Lancing residents going to get a cup of coffee now then?

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jack reagan says...
4:38pm Fri 24 Oct 08

Drat. Me and my ever increasingly distant friend Mike were going to visit on Saturday for our normal 'eggs over hammy'. Now we will have to go to the more expensive Wimpy. Still They are the home of the hamburger.

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rhinofish says...
5:01pm Fri 24 Oct 08

Seven raids and "No significant quantity of cannabis was found." Sounds like police harassment. Thirty officers to arrest three men. Bit over the top? How will they justify any further raids if, as seems likely, they have not succeeded in closing the cafe down?
And how much has this cost the taxpayer?

Yes the law should be changed to allow people to smoke cannabis and not be criminalised. This cafe should be allowed to continue. If there was no need for it it would not be there.

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BBBrighton says...
5:28pm Fri 24 Oct 08

What are these loopholes? I for one would like to know!

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johnwatson says...
6:26pm Fri 24 Oct 08

Yes, the law should be changed. It should be changed to permit adults to enjoy themselves without their lives being threatened by gung-ho police attempting to enforce the unenforceable. When they used a tractor to pull down part of the wall somebody could have been seriously injured or killed.

Earlier this month the Beckley foundation published a report, at the House of Lords, which will be discussed at next year's UN drugs summit.

It calls for cannabis to be legalised and regulated because it is safer than alcohol and tobacco. It also says that criminalising users causes more harm to them than cannabis does. That is plain to see from the stazi activities of Worthing police.

When it reopens, will the police attack it again? Will somebody be injured?

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Sir Puffalot says...
7:10pm Fri 24 Oct 08

Wouldn't MP Tim Loughtons time be better spent doing something about the blatant and dangerous police harrasment rather than helping these thugs attack those who he is supposed to represent.

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sweetpea says...
7:43pm Fri 24 Oct 08

ABOUT RUDDY TIME JUSTICE WAS DONE - THEY SHOULD NOW SERVE THE CLOSURE ORDER AND STOP THIS ONCE AND FOR ALL - WHY BAIL THE OWNER - THROW THE BOOK AT THE LOT OF THEM!

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sweetpea says...
7:46pm Fri 24 Oct 08

Sir Puffalot wrote:
Wouldn't MP Tim Loughtons time be better spent doing something about the blatant and dangerous police harrasment rather than helping these thugs attack those who he is supposed to represent.
if the cafe wasnt there then the police would not harras you would they!

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Sir Puffalot says...
7:55pm Fri 24 Oct 08

So running a cafe is a criminal offense now is it? This is the SEVENTH time these thigs have wrecked the place and STILL no offences are disclosed. The police really are violent scum.

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sweetpea says...
8:00pm Fri 24 Oct 08

im not saying its a criminal offense - im saying we dont want this type of cafe near vunrable residents young and old, ona dangerous bend-ive almost knocked people over driving round that bend-its not fair on the community-i like many dont want to be faced with police there regulary just like you guys-if they legalise this there must be somewhere else to vacate to away from the community-two wrongs dont make a right do they

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jack reagan says...
8:58pm Fri 24 Oct 08

All I know is they do a ruddy great Jacket potato generously filled with tuna (dolphin friendly I might add) and sweetcorn, cup of tea all for £2.70

Now that is value you cant moan about.

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sweetpea says...
9:28pm Fri 24 Oct 08

um you cant fool the community mate - but 10/10 for trying!
if theres no prob then why is there not a sign inviting the public in for tuna sarnies etc??? im sure that a cheap snack would go down well due to the credit crunch - may be someone could walk aroun with a "sandwich board"!!

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bibble says...
9:58pm Fri 24 Oct 08

If "no significant quantity of cannabis was found" WHY are the police calling for a law change to prevent other cafes opening?

Why don't they stick to upholding the laws that parliament passes and stop sticking their ugly noses into politics by demanding law changes. The audacity of the police is shocking.

7 raids in 2 years including smashing into the building with a digger. It's overkill. The police cannot and should not expect any support from the public (that they are meant to serve) when they act like thugs.

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sweetpea says...
10:01pm Fri 24 Oct 08

would you like this going on when you have young children walking to and from school - we the community dont want it near ours! like your title states visits regulary - your not local mate - live here full time to see it from our eyes!

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whatithink says...
10:29pm Fri 24 Oct 08

I agree the law needs changing. I think all drugs should be legalised and supplied through government run outlets. The war on drugs has been a total waste of police time and money.
This way those that want to take drugs can buy them at sensible prices, and it would kill the black market (and thus organised crime involvement) stone dead. Also there would be a tax on them, so the taxpayer would get something back as well. Crime would drop by about 50% overnight.
But until that happens it is illegal to run what the dutch call a 'coffee house' - and this place should be closed down and the proprietors should have the full force of the law brought to bear on them.

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rhinofish says...
10:50pm Fri 24 Oct 08

This is ridiculous even Cilla Black admits smoking cannabis.

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Reginaldo says...
10:58pm Fri 24 Oct 08

Well done the police. Keep up the good work. Ignore the moaners who bleat it's over the top. In fact when they try to open again don't use a digger use a tank!

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markharrison says...
6:08am Sat 25 Oct 08

what are the police coming to,seven raids and not one blade of grass found.Dear dear, in the good old days they would have planted several kilos of the stuff in with the salad and had everyone bang to rights. come on mr plod get your act together if you dont have any grass to plant i know where you can buy some and it aint from the cafe that was raided...!!!

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Crikey says...
6:25am Sat 25 Oct 08

sweetpea wrote:
ABOUT RUDDY TIME JUSTICE WAS DONE - THEY SHOULD NOW SERVE THE CLOSURE ORDER AND STOP THIS ONCE AND FOR ALL - WHY BAIL THE OWNER - THROW THE BOOK AT THE LOT OF THEM!
Justice? Exactly who has been harmed by this cafe, apart from the self-righteous?

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chris elmes says...
8:37am Sat 25 Oct 08

The police high command belive they can twist the law & its interpritation any way they please. Unfortunatly under our(in my opion)national socialist labour government they are most likely correct in this view. I can hear the tramp of jackboots from this perfidious band of goose-steppers do whatever they please to us.
IGNORENCE IS STRENGTH,FREEDOM IS SLAVERY !!!!

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AJG22 says...
10:26am Sat 25 Oct 08

I agree this is crazy and always has been. where is the logic to banning Cannabis but not Alcohol and Cigarettes (and I'm not a cannabis smoker)?

All cause harm, the latter two to a MUCH greater degree causing thousands of deaths a year?

In the case of Cigarettes and alcohol adults are left to make up their own mind (although even this privelege is slowly being eroded) but not in the case of cannabis and other less dangerous "recreational drugs". i agree that there should be a bold and wide-ranging review to consider licensing certian drugs including cannabis.

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Jeremy says...
11:35am Sat 25 Oct 08

sweetpea wrote:
would you like this going on when you have young children walking to and from school - we the community dont want it near ours! like your title states visits regulary - your not local mate - live here full time to see it from our eyes!
Has SweetPea been inside the place? I have. It has a good atmosphere. STRICTLY No alcohol = relaxed and peaceful, good vibes, no aggro. You can buy abit of puff, and settle down to a good game of chess listening to good music with likeminded pals. No children are allowed - proof of age is required. It was great. It is sad as this country slips back into the dark ages.
The hypocrisy over drugs in this country, sweetpea a classic example, is breath-taking. Why should the political classes lecture ordinary people as to how they live their lives, as long as it does no-one else no harm. Obviously cannabis is sold to minors as well as adults, but so are alcohol and tobacco readily available to minors. Just visit any adolescent gathering place of an evening and see. Cannabis is singled out because most people are ignorant aand believe the lies about it's social 'consequences'. The state uses cannabis prohibition to criminalise a section of the community that it can't otherwise control. And sad, mean-minded, loneley, daily-mail reading, kill-joys go along with it. Mike Allday is a hero, he should get a medal for taking on the system.

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Judith_eleanor says...
11:58am Sat 25 Oct 08

sweetpea wrote:
ABOUT RUDDY TIME JUSTICE WAS DONE - THEY SHOULD NOW SERVE THE CLOSURE ORDER AND STOP THIS ONCE AND FOR ALL - WHY BAIL THE OWNER - THROW THE BOOK AT THE LOT OF THEM!
Legal justice may have been achieved. But what about social justice. No alcohol or hard drugs were tolerated in the Cannabis cafe. Nor was it sold to minors. Mike Allday is a hero. He is being victimised. A section of the community is being victimised.
Yes the law needs to be changed. Cannbis should be legalised and the power of the police to harm peace loving citizens proscribed.

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Kickboxer says...
2:03pm Sat 25 Oct 08

This is the 7th raid by the police and yet they still have not found any cannabis (well less than what can be found in any pub in the town and dare I say it even probably in the police canteen it's self) it seems to me that the police may have a grudge against someone who is running a fully legitimate business that only gives the illusion of being illegal, in part as a responce to the over the top police reaction.

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sweetpea says...
2:36pm Sat 25 Oct 08

O dear - seems to have opened up a bag of worms this one - no sweetpea hasnt been in there but like millions saw it on tv - im NOT saying cannabis should be banned im saying it should not be where it is!
There is a large industrial estate in lancing and surrounding areas - why cant the owner open it there - thats the OWNER not the guy that was arrested -

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maxhobden says...
7:42pm Sat 25 Oct 08

Only this week there was reports in the paper & on tv stating that the police were spending too much time & money on petty crimes rather than the more serious crimes like sex attacks on children. I think its rediculus that they've wasted time, manpower & money on trying to close down this cafe. My mother lives right behind the cafe & at 65yrs old she knows what is what. She is not a dope smoker just a very open minded lady who sees no problem with having this cafe within 100yards of her front door. Like me she would rather walk past the cafe at anytime of day or night than walk past a pub where the smokers have been pushed outside with a belly full of booze & the probability of causing trouble with passer bys. I am alcoholic in recovery & sober 4 & half yrs. I still like to smoke dope as it doesn't cause me any problems socially. However,put a drink inside me & I am back to the attention of the police & adding to my 28 previous convictions through alcohol. Alcohol is an extremely dangerous drug whereas the only problems concerning dope are the legalities. We're supposed to be part of Europe but we don't take on there laws around dope. The Goverment seem to enjoy watching people, families, get destroyed on alcohol yet they let it go on. Is it because they drink themselves? Thousands of people die each year due to alcohol related illnesses. How many die through smoking dope? I'd like to see the statistics!!! Stop wasting time & leave the cafe alone. If it wasn't for the press no one would know its there or care about it. Good luck Mike I hope you keep trying!!!

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maxhobden says...
8:08pm Sat 25 Oct 08

sweetpea wrote:
im not saying its a criminal offense - im saying we dont want this type of cafe near vunrable residents young and old, ona dangerous bend-ive almost knocked people over driving round that bend-its not fair on the community-i like many dont want to be faced with police there regulary just like you guys-if they legalise this there must be somewhere else to vacate to away from the community-two wrongs dont make a right do they
Drive more carefully then.As a child I played round there just glad u weren't driving then. Its always been a dodgey corner. But you are ok walking your kids past pubs then? Much more dangerous!!!

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sweetpea says...
9:53am Sun 26 Oct 08

maxhobden wrote:
sweetpea wrote: im not saying its a criminal offense - im saying we dont want this type of cafe near vunrable residents young and old, ona dangerous bend-ive almost knocked people over driving round that bend-its not fair on the community-i like many dont want to be faced with police there regulary just like you guys-if they legalise this there must be somewhere else to vacate to away from the community-two wrongs dont make a right do they
Drive more carefully then.As a child I played round there just glad u weren't driving then. Its always been a dodgey corner. But you are ok walking your kids past pubs then? Much more dangerous!!!
never had an accident in all the years of driving - it wasnt a cannabis cafe when you were a child tho was it maxhobden - times change - dont walk my kids past pubs no need to!

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sweetpea says...
10:01pm Mon 27 Oct 08

its good to see its still sealed off - thats satifaction for all those who work and pay high taxes - there is a god after all - thank you
Mr & Mrs P C xx

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