Doormen 'take a beating' in Maidenhead

Battered doormen in Maidenhead are calling for tougher punishments for violent drunks after a staff member was brutally punched in the face.

The unprovoked attack at Smokey Joe's Roadhouse left the doorman with nasty facial injuries after the drinker was refused entry to the popular night spot.

But the heavily-tattooed attacker was only given a caution for the May 13 assault, prompting calls for assaults on doormen and other staff to be taken more seriously.

Lee Page, partner at the family-run Nicholsons Lane nightclub, oversees a team of doormen who he said face the prospect of a beating every time they step up to the door.

"It's as if doormen don't have the same rights as everyone else," he said.

Chief Inspector David Gilbert, deputy commander of Windsor and Maidenhead, said police take all reports of assaults 'very seriously'.

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