A SECOND bar has been refused permission to extend its hours for a university pub crawl.

Bosses at Bar Xtreme, in Old Christchurch Road, had wanted to allow 24-hour drinking for students during the ‘Block Party’ event over the Bank Holiday weekend Sunday, May 6, and Monday, May 7.

But the council’s licensing committee refused the request after hearing concerns from Dorset Police about last year’s Block Party.

Last week, councillors turned down a similar application by Inferno.

Block Party is a music event for 2,500 people across eight venues.

Cllr Andrew Morgan, chairman of the licensing committee, said: “Last time the event happened, police had significant issues trying to disperse people and get them home safely, distracting officers from their crime prevention jobs.”

The board agreed extending Bar Xtreme’s licence, which already permits drinking until 3am, was unreasonable.

“With people spilling out on to the streets, police would find it difficult to maintain that number of people at that hour of the night,” Cllr Morgan said.

“We’re happy for people to have a good time but police need to be able to do their job effectively.”