In a development that will leave many venues re-assessing their entry conditions, an A&R man at a major record company has set in motion a lawsuit against collected north London pubs and clubs for lost work hours and potential revenue due to ink poisoning.

Claiming that constant stamping and restamping of hands and wrists led to a chronic bout of ink poisoning, A&R Account Manager Paul Lloyd-Harris claims that he had to take a fortnight off work in order to rest, recuperate and seek treatment.

Speaking to DiS, Lloyd-Harris said: “In an average week, I get stamped around ten to 15 times – some of these stamps are big and messy and in my opinion, over-inked. It’s irresponsible for venues to use this as a system – especially in the manner they do. They could use wristbands, or even issue laminates for regular gig goers.”

Lloyd-Harris continued: “I spent the last week in and out of hospital, on anti-biotics and generally fatigued because of a poisoned blood stream. It wasn’t fun. On top of that, there were a number of bands, like White Lies, who I missed out on seeing – essentially, in my eyes, lost revenue.”

The lawyer representing the case, Peter Lennon of OJK Bradfields, said: “We feel that Mr Lloyd-Harris has a very strong case, these venues did not take enough precautions to prevent this from happening. It’s a simple case of neglecting standard health and safety procedures”.

There has been no comment issued from the named defendants in the case.