CHRISTMAS revellers have been warned that they could go to jail if their drink fuelled celebrations turn to violence.

Recorder Philip Butler gave his timely message as he jailed a Darwen man for 16 months for an attack on two people with a pool cue in a pub.

Some of the incident at the Jubilee pub, Blackburn, was captured on CCTV and played at a Preston Crown Court sentencing hearing.

Alexander Carrie, 41, of Bennington Street, Darwen, pleaded guilty to unlawfully wounding Andrea Bridson and an actual bodily harm assault on Kevin Filbin on December 23 last year.

Recorder Butler said: "In a few days people are going to be out and about in the pubs and clubs of Blackburn and Lancashire, having a good time.

"But they have to remember there is a limit and there is no excuse if that drink fuelled good time turns into violence."

The court was told that there had been a minor incident between another woman and the defendant.

The woman then went into a pool area of the pub where Andrea Bridson and friend Kevin Filbin were playing pool.

Mr Mark Lamberty, prosecuting, said Miss Bridson got involved in an altercation with the defendant and he took a pool cue from her grip and then poured a drink over her.

"She was then struck to the forehead by the defendant using the pool cue," said Mr Lamberty.

"She had an injury to the top of the head.

"She says she was suffering headaches three months after the incident."

Kevin Filbin saw her under attack and intervened but he was struck by a blow across the face with a pool cue.

At first he was concerned that his vision might have been affected, but a check by a specialist showed there were no complications.

Carrie had one case of violence on his record, from when he was 14.

Mr Martin Hackett, defending, told the court: "The defendant had taken a large amount of alcohol and genuinely could not remember what had occured."