A NIGHTCLUB will remain closed after the council upheld its decision to suspend the licence following a dancefloor slashing and large-scale police riot.

Eva’s on Hosier Street descended into chaos on August 5 when more than 400 revellers exited the club, prompting officers from across Thames Valley and a specialist dog unit to be deployed.

A separate incident on July 30 saw a man rushed to the Royal Berkshire Hospital with ‘slash wounds’ after a fight started inside the town centre hotspot.

Reading Borough Council’s licensing sub-committee reviewed representations from Thames Valley Police (TVP) and the Eva's management team at a meeting on Tuesday evening.

Councillors saw CCTV footage of a man appearing to pull a bladed article from his jacket before making a slashing motion.

PC Simon Wheeler from TVP criticised the security staff at the site, who could be seen smoking and taking selfies while the fight was taking place.

He insisted a knife could clearly be seen in the footage and pointed out the failure of the security staff to deal with the fighting.

The committee also saw body camera footage of police struggling to cope with a large number of revellers earlier this month, with another fight taking place in the market area.

Police and nightclub representatives continued to argue about whether or not a knife was allowed to enter the premises, but the committee felt it was appropriate to uphold the decision to suspend the licence.

Chairman of the meeting, Councillor Paul Woodward, explained: “The committee is not convinced that the measures being proposed will be effective.

“The interim steps are appropriate and so they will remain in place.”

Speaking on behalf of Eva’s, Jon Payne said: “The simple truth is that we do not know what caused the injury on July 30.

“There was no knife clearly seen on CCTV, recovered from the scene, or indeed seen by the injured party.

“We were aware that there were problems with the old security company. Their conduct was completely unacceptable and they have been removed.”

The council's decision to revoke the licence on a temporary basis was made on August 10 and immediately appealed by Eva's.

A full hearing will be held on September 5.