The bill: Now Rozzers join row over Ritzes in Brighouse and London

Glen Smith, the manager of the Ritz Ballroom, in Brighouse, Huddersfield, West Yorks. The club and live music venue has received a letter from the Ritz Hotel in London, demanding that they cease to trade under the name Ritz. February 21, 2017. See Ross Parry story RPYRITZ -

And now a Yorkshire band which was due to play a gig at The Ritz in Brighouse has waded into a legal row between the ballroom and the London hotel of the same name.

The venue on Bradford Road announced last week that it will have to change its name after being threatened with legal action from The Ritz in London, despite having traded under the title for more than 80 years.

Police tribute act The Rozzers has entered the fray and sent the London hotel an invoice for their cancelled show.

It read: “My band were due to play at The Ritz venue in Brighouse, not your hotel in London, so confusing! We also intend to initiate our own legal action against Her Majesty’s Police Service, as the general public keep confusing The Police, law enforcers, with The Police, 1980s punk/reggae band.”

The letter than continued to ask for payment for the band’s performance with an attached invoice.

It added: “I understand you are a small fledgling operation so you need to protect your good name. Similarly, I need to protect my income and the income of the people in my band so I would appreciate prompt payment please; none of your ‘28 days’ nonsense, thank you.”

The Brighouse Ritz, which is used for ballroom dancing, live music and Northern Soul nights, announced last week that it had been contacted by lawyers from the hotel in Piccadilly who gave the owners until next week to stop using the name or face legal action.