Latest news with #HotWaterComedyClub
Sky News
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News
Andrew Lawrence: Comedian barred from venues after making 'vile' joke about Liverpool parade collision
A comedian who made a "vile" joke about the Liverpool parade collision has been barred from performing at several venues across the UK. Andrew Lawrence had written on the social media site X: "To be fair, if I was in Liverpool, I'd drive through crowds of people to get the f*** out of there as well." The post attracted criticism from thousands of users - with many urging him to delete his comment and apologise. 0:43 Lawrence had been due to perform at a comedy club in Essex on 15 June, but the gig has now been cancelled. In a statement, the Caddies venue said: "We do not condone or support the comment that has been made online, and we send everyone impacted by the tragic events in Liverpool our support and prayers." The comedian struck a defiant tone, writing: "This venue lost their courage after being bombarded with abuse and threats of violence from online trolls." He has vowed to reschedule the show and perform at a different location in Southend. But a number of other comedy clubs have issued statements to say that Lawrence is no longer welcome on their stages. 2:11 The Hot Water Comedy Club - one of Liverpool's best-known venues - said on Instagram: "That's not comedy. It's cruelty, plain and simple." Its statement added: "We believe in the power of comedy to challenge, uplift and connect - not to target people in moments of real pain." The club said he will no longer appear at any of its events because "his brand of cruelty has no place in the kind of comedy we stand for". It also urged other promoters and comedians to "think carefully" before deciding to book Lawrence or share a stage with him. "If you're standing by him, you're standing against everything this industry should represent," the Hot Water Comedy Club added. 1:21 The Comedy Store, which has venues in London and Manchester, confirmed it has also barred Lawrence and "stands beside" the people of Liverpool. Merseyside Police confirmed on Wednesday that 79 people are now known to have been injured in the collision on Bank Holiday Monday. As Liverpool FC's trophy parade came to an end, a car drove into crowds on Water Street - with panicked fans watching in horror and trying to avoid being hit. A 53-year-old man is being held on suspicion of attempted murder, dangerous driving and drug driving.
BBC News
25-03-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Everton new stadium parking zone suspension backed by business owners
Business owners have welcomed Liverpool City Council's decision to suspend controversial parking restrictions near Everton's new Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (Etro), including heavy restrictions on street parking, was introduced earlier this year within a half-hour walking radius of the Bramley-Moore Dock Monday, the council agreed to pause the restrictions until August in areas where businesses have been most heavily Blair, who owns the Hot Water Comedy Club, led a petition against the restrictions. He said that while businesses welcomed the council's decision, they were still feeling the impact of the seven weeks the rules have been in place. 'Nobody knew about it' "They've obviously seen an impact in sales and customers," said Mr Blair, who also owns Blackstock Market."There's been loads of concern about it moving forward, especially if they started to implement it every day in August, which is a huge concern."Hopefully there will be a proper economic impact assessment done and we're listened to before changes are made."The council said it had received more than 5,000 responses as part of a public owners in the streets around the stadium said they were very worried about the council's initial plans to enforce traffic restrictions all year round, rather than only on matchdays. Some even claimed the rules could force them out of Blair said more than 200 companies had been affected by the restrictions and complained about what he regarded as a lack of communication. "Nobody knew about it," he said."These businesses operate every day. We have staff every day. We have about 5,000 customers a week and they were literally impacted straight away."It's just lack of foresight, lack of any economic impact assessment." Fraser Smith, managing director of the Downland bedding company which is based about 30 minutes from the stadium, said the council's concessions were "fantastic news on face value".But he sounded a note of caution."It is only a temporary measure - we'll have to see what happens in August. But for now it's good news for all the businesses that are affected by this."Mr Blair said he was pleased with the way the local community had come together over the last few said he was hopeful that now there is an open line of communication with the council, any future changes will be discussed and agreed with residents and businesses before they council's cabinet member for transport and connectivity, Dan Barrington, said the restrictions were part of an "experimental traffic order" so changes could be made once it was live."It's given us this space to be able to listen to concerns from people, particularly as it went live, and we've taken that into consideration," he said."We really want to get the best situation for everyone in the area," added Barrington."It's complex and complicated - the whole reason we did this as an experimental traffic order was because we knew ultimately there would need to be tweaks and changes."Everton will leave Goodison Park at the end of the season in May before kicking off life at Bramley-Moore Dock in August. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
