From The News Shopper, 16th April: Joe Dempse y The North Pole bar closed its basement South Pole nightclub after CCTV footage showed staff selling balloons thought to be filled with nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas. Now the owners have said the pub aims to become "upmarket to appeal to the changing demographic moving into the area", concentrating on "craft beers, quality food and pleasant popular music in a smart gastropub/wine bar environment". At a Greenwich Council licensing sub-committee meeting on April 11, members watched CCTV footage which showed the balloons being sold, patrons breathing in the gas, then throwing the empty balloons on the floor. A number of crimes were reported to have originated from within the pub over the years, with Heather Oliver, counsel for the police, telling the committee meeting there was a "significant history of the premises attracting an escalating level of criminal activity". She referr...