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Newspaper apology over play area stag party tale

A complaint about a weekly newspaper article which claimed a children’s play facility would be used as a venue for stag and hen parties has been resolved.

Brian Moore complained about a story in the Whitby Gazette which reported the Mini Monsterz play facility had submitted an application for an alcohol licence, with a view to hosting stag and hen parties.

He told the Press Complaints Commission the article was inaccurate and misleading.

The complaint was resolved when the newspaper agreed to contact Mr Moore prior to publication of any future articles on either of his businesses and also published the following clarification:

“Further to our article ‘Stag parties plan for Mini-Monsterz’ (11 May), we would clarify that Mini Monsterz children’s facility has not applied for an alcohol licence to host stag and hen parties.

“The application was made by Esk Leisure, which operates as a separate business. The Esk Cafe-Bar for which the licence was requested is in the Mini Monsterz building.

“However, the cafe cannot be accessed through the children’s facility, has a separate entrance to the play area, and is located away from it.

“The details in the original article were based on information obtained from the agenda of a Scarborough Borough Council meeting. We apologise for any confusion caused by our report.”