Thank the lord a bid to close Leeds superclub Mission this week failed - if they'd have succeeded we might as well have packed up and moved to Manchester.

Apparently British Transport Police were upset about reports of drugs usage, theft, violence and sexual assaults. But, you'll note, these were reports, not concrete evidence.

And, I hate to break it to the people of Leeds, but allegations of this kind are made relating to almost every bar and club in the city at various times and to varying degrees.

Singling out one venue is grossly unfair unless it can be justified. Clearly it couldn't.

If Mission had its licence revoked and management forced to shut the doors it would have been an absolute tragedy, and an almost fatal blow for our clubland.

People travel from across the country to be there and it attracts some of the biggest DJs from around the globe.

In a decade which has seen some of the top players disappear this nightspot has been one of our few success stories, creating a hub for the city centre social scene on Lower Briggate and The Calls.

Cynics who don't understand the sphere of bars and clubs fail to realise they now represent one of our biggest industries, bringing millions of pounds into the local economy every year.

If there were problems in the world of soccer you wouldn't close Elland Road Stadium and you wouldn't shut down the ring road to combat congestion.

Similarly, locking up one of the biggest, most popular and lucrative clubs in Leeds would be a foolhardy act, both socially and financially.

No one is naively or disingenuously suggesting there aren't problems, but reactively closing down vital venues is the classic sledgehammer/walnut solution.