THE city council is preparing to shut down what is believed to be Preston's first swinging club.

It comes after complaints from local residents prompted an investigation by police and council officers into the activities of Fun 4 Two, in Powis Road, Ashton.

The main complaints about the club, which opened in March this year, concern parking and the noise from people leaving the house in the early hours of the morning.

Council officers inspected the property, a large four-bedroom detached house set back off the quiet residential road behind a locked gate.

They interviewed the owner, and compiled a report for the planning committee.

The report alleges the owner to be in contravention of planning rules as the property is being used for a mixed use of residential and business activities, when it is listed in the city's Local Plan as a "residential dwelling". The owner disputes this.

Club owner, Brian, who refused to give his full name, said he is doing nothing illegal and is not ashamed of his club, which boasts a sauna, a pool room, a bar area and a 40ft heated indoor swimming pool.

He said: "We have also got two private bedrooms with 8ftx8ft beds in them, and an open room with a 21ftx12ft bed where between 12 to 14 people at a time can relax and enjoy themselves."

He claims Fun 4 Two has a varied clientele from builders and plumbers to brain surgeons and solicitors. Single men have to pay a £50 annual membership and £25 a visit, couples also pay £25, women are allowed in free of charge.

He claims he is not running a business and the charges merely cover the cost of advertising and hosting the parties.

"I would say that thousands of people have visited the club since we opened," said Brian. "The crowd varies from 19-year-old girls coming here for a good time, to people in their sixties.

"But not everyone comes for sex, some come just for the atmosphere. People think what we do is seedy and sordid but it's not like that, everything is fun and relaxed."

And he said there are just three house rules: no smoking upstairs, no sex in the swimming pool, and no drugs.

Sergeant Mark Bridgeworth, of Lea police, said: "The residents have had some issues with parking, we are supporting the residents and the council in the action against it, we have mounted some high visibility patrols down the street, but we are powerless to prevent it because it's not illegal."

Resident and mother-of-two Lucy Hill, 34, who lives just yards away, added: "What goes on in the house itself has not been a problem, it's just the parking. This is a terraced street and there's not enough parking anyway."

Planning chiefs have recommended an enforcement notice be issued to stop the parties taking place there. Councillors are expected to make a decision at a planning meeting on Monday.

Father Stephen Ashton, of Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, Pedder's Lane, said: "We would not advocate this kind of thing as being something that one should do. I think what the council is doing is probably the right thing to do."

What do you think? Write to us with your views at 3 Winckley Court, Chapel Street, Preston, PR1 8BU.