Bouncers at a Hoxton bar allegedly stood and watched as four customers were beaten up outside with a metal bike chain.

Two of the group were left hospitalised after the brutal attack, but the security guards did not even take the registration of the car the two perpetrators fled in.

The violent assault, which happened at 3am last September 27, led to police requesting amendments to the Troy Bar’s licensing conditions, which were agreed at a town hall meeting last week.

The victims had just left the Caribbean bar and restaurant in Hoxton Street when they leaned up against a car parked outside. The two men sitting inside “took exception” to this and an argument ensued leading to one man being knocked unconscious, another hit with a motorcycle chain, and two others punched.

Police said CCTV images “clearly show very little involvement” by the venue’s door staff, who made “no apparent attempt” to stop it happening and “generally mill around watching”.

Licensing officer Guy Hicks met with the premises licence holder, Edward Joseph Charles, to discuss his bouncers’ “poor actions”.

In a report for the council’s licensing team, licensing officer Guy Hicks said: “The initial reaction of the premises licence holder was that they were not his customers, it was out in the street and therefore not something that was an issue for Troy bar staff to deal with.

“I explained to him that as a licensee he and his door staff had an obligation. I explained that there was also the moral issue of trained security staff watching people get seriously assaulted, and I also pointed out that they were in fact his customers being directly assaulted outside his premises.”

Mr Charles then removed the CCTV camera from outside his bar which had captured the incident on film, and refused to reinstate it to comply with his licensing conditions. This led Pc Hicks to push for a review.

He said: “I felt the removal of the camera was naive at least, cynical at worst.

“If the venue were unfortunate to have a murder or similar occur inside the premises a key part in the early detection of crime and apprehension of offenders would be officers ability to view CCTV.”

Mr Charles has now replaced the camera. He could not be reached for comment.