The operator of now closed wine bar has been fined £11,500 for breaching fire regulations.

The Bar George Ltd was charged with eight counts of the offence but failed to send a representative to court.

Deputy High Bailiff Rachael Braidwood said that she was satisfied a summons had been properly served, and found the offences proved in absence, ordering that the fine, plus prosecution costs of £50, be paid within one month.

Prosecuting advocate Sara-Jayne Dodge told the court that a summons advising Bar George Ltd of the court date, and an advanced information pack containing evidence, had been put through the letterbox of the company’s registered address, at Second Avenue in Douglas, by the police.

This had come after other attempts to serve summons.

Despite this, on September 30, no-one from the company turned up to court.

Ms Dodge said the offences came to light after police received information in an email from an anonymous source, which was then passed on to the Fire Service.

Fire Service officers went to Bar George on March 27.

The owner, Damian Hawley, was not present but the bar manager was.

An inspection found that a rear fire exit door, shared with offices above, had been screwed shut, and another exit door next to the kitchen had fallen off, and showed signs that it had also previously been screwed shut.

Multiple items were stored in the way of fire escape routes.

Logbooks showed that fire alarm and lighting testing were not up to date, and fire extinguishers hadn’t been checked.

Staff training was also not up to date.

A further inspection was arranged for the following day after all the issues had been presented in writing.

When fire officers went to the bar on March 28, Mr Hawley was there and said that he was going to close down the pub.

He said that the exit door had been screwed shut because an ex-employee had broken in.

A further inspection noted that parts of the escape routes had been cleared, but no evidence regarding testing was produced.

A representative from a company who had dealt with the alarm said that it had been serviced in February 2024, and that they had then dealt with a fault in February 2025, when they said they were satisfied it had been fully operational.

It was agreed that the bar could remain open on Friday, March 28, and Saturday March 29, after Mr Hawley said that it would be ceasing to trade after that.

Deputy High Bailiff Ms Braidwood said: ‘There are serious offences, in particular the screwing shut of a fire door shared with offices above the premises.

‘This could have had appalling consequences had there been a fire in the building.’

Bar George closed in March, with Mr Hawley blaming ‘huge operational increases in energy and supplies’.

In June, we reported that the company had been evicted from the premises by its parish church landlord, over unpaid rent amounting to tens of thousands of pounds.