A campaign has launched to save globally renowned London nightclub Fabric, which is closed while its licence is reviewed.
The club is calling on its fans to show their support by tweeting using the hashtag #savefabric, signing an online petition, and downloading a support pack from its website.
Staff say they have been overwhelmed by the support shown by fans and artists since the club closed. The campaign aims to show just how much backing there is for the Farringdon venue.
Islington Council suspended the club's licence at the request of the Metropolitan Police, following the drugs-related death of two men at Fabric.
In its 17 years of operating, Fabric has seen over 5,000 artists pass through its doors, and welcomed over 6million clubbers.
It says it employs almost 250 permanent staff, from cleaners and bar staff to photographers, sound and lighting engineers, bookers, maintenance staff and graphic designers, all of whom stand to lose their jobs if the club closes.
A statement on the club's Facebook page says: "The safety of our customers is our number one priority. Since we opened our doors in 1999, we have always worked closely with the police and the licensing authority in adopting the most effective known techniques to reduce harm and prevent drug-related crime on our premises and we continue to look at new ways we can improve our processes.
"We recognise that illegal drugs are a particular issue in the clubbing sphere which many venues like ours have challenges in addressing. We have zero tolerance to drugs on the premises and, as recently as December last year, we were described by District Judge Allison in a court judgement as a “beacon of best practice” in managing this issue."
Mayor Sadiq Khan urged the venue, police and Islington Council to try to deal with the problem.
