IT would have been a case of Silence is Golden, if a court ban on music at a Felixstowe nightclub had stood.Lixs in Sea Road and Splitz Bandbox on Bent Hill were told by the High Court they could not play another track and would have to be music-free zones until their music licences were sorted out.

IT would have been a case of Silence is Golden, if a court ban on music at a Felixstowe nightclub had stood.

Lixs in Sea Road and Splitz Bandbox on Bent Hill were told by the High Court they could not play another track and would have to be music-free zones until their music licences were sorted out.

But today the clubs' owner Mark Moseley assured customers that the wrangle over music had been resolved and it is business as usual this week.

Problems arose after judge Mr Justice Patten, sitting in the High Court, ordered that Mr Moseley's company Central Park Felixstowe Ltd should be banned from playing music at its venues for not having a PPL – Phonographic Performance Ltd – licence.

But company director Mr Moseley, of Holly Close, Little Bealings, near Woodbridge, said the matter had been a mix-up and had been resolved. However, he was under the impression the court case was to have been adjourned and was shocked it had taken place without his knowledge.

"I thought it had been adjourned and that's as much as I knew," he added.

"It came as a shock today. There has been a bit of a mix up but it's all been sorted and it's all up-to-date."

Mr Moseley could have been given a fine of up to £10,000 or jailed for two years if the order not to play music at the premises had been broken.

George Hayman, counsel for PPL, said one of its inspectors had called at Lixs in September last year and heard tracks being played, including Get Busy, Year 3000 and Hooray Hooray (It's a Cheeky Holiday) without a licence in force.

The ban would have applied to all forms of mechanically recorded music such as records, tapes and CDs.

A spokeswoman for the PPL, which runs the licences for 3,000 record companies and 30,000 performers, including session musicians, confirmed that the matter had now all now been resolved and Mr Moseley had the correct licence.

She said the PPL was not heavy-handed in the way it dealt with such issues and court was always a last resort. Mr Moseley would have been contacted by letter at least five times plus telephone calls and later solicitors' letters before formal legal action was taken.

WEBLINK: www.ppluk.com