A Croydon restaurant faces losing its license after CCTV went missing the night a man was allegedly attacked outside with a shisha pipe.

Police were originally told that security cameras at Apatura in South End were "dummies" after trying to recover footage of a fight outside the restaurant on September 21.

But a specialist video team later found live wires running from the cameras into a loft hatch in the kitchen, according to papers prepared for the council's licensing committee to consider.

Two men were arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and were later released on police bail following the alleged attack.

Apatura had its license to sell alcohol suspended on September 23 after requests from police, but this was lifted on Wednesday after pleas from the restaurant that it was damaging business.

The police suspension order said: "The serious nature of this offence and the suspicious circumstances surrounds the wherabouts/lack of images available leaves the Metropolitan Police with no other sensible course of action other than to make this application."

A full review of Apatura's license will be held at the end of this month.

A letter addressed to Croydon Council from Apatura' licensing representative, Silver Training, accepts that a "serious offence took place at the premises" and that number of license conditions had been breached.

But the restaurant denies tampering with the CCTV, and says it has installed a new, working system since the alleged attack.

A member of Apatura's management said: "There was no active CCTV on the premises and it hasn't been working for a long time.

"The report was written before the investigation was finished - that's why they have lifted the suspension order."