A venue owner in Washington DC is furious after a drummer’s fart led to a $500 fine. Bill Duggan, proprietor of the Madam’s Organ Blues Bar, was punished by the city’s Alcohol Beverage Regulation Administration because the unidentified musician opened a window at 1.30am last June.

But an enforcement officer happened to pass by and identified an operational policy violation, as venue doors and windows must be shut after 12.30am while live music is being performed.

Duggan said in a report: “He opened the window to let a fart out. He cracked it open for five minutes – and the inspector showed up.”

He tells Borderstan: “20 fucking years with not one violation, and this is what they came up with. People get stabbed and shot in other establishments. In ours, someone farts, cracks a window, and they spend a year on it.”

A post on the venue’s Facebook page says: “It took a long time for that gas to clear the air – but the current situation smells even worse.”

He aims to appeal the ruling.