A no-go zone for the over 30s

WHILE the area by day attracts all sorts of people, after dark it becomes exclusively a haunt for young drinkers.

Raymond Goldstone, president of Blackburn's chamber of trade, said it was time for that to change.

He said: "Come 6pm, anyone with a family or over the age of 30 will just clear out of Blackburn town centre.

"People just don't feel safe there at all. Fortunately, the council does quite a good job in tidying it up before we arrive again for work, but it is a real problem."

It's an argument backed by Eddie Harrison, himself in his 50s. A councillor until last month's elections, Mr Harrison argued hard for a wider variety of night-time entertainment.

He said: "There is nothing for you in Blackburn apart from pubs. "If you are in your 30s and don't want to drink until you fall down then you stay away from the town centre.

"The only non-pub places which do well are the ones people can park right outside of, like Tiggi's restaurant."

Looking for something to do in Blackburn town centre to do after dark which doesn't involve drinking or going to a takeaway is a hard task. It has only a small handful of restaurants.

There is also of course King George's Hall, run by the council, which lays on a variety of entertainment, but also includes Blakey's bar - part of the weekend bar circuit as much as any other venue in the town centre.

However, Steve Rigby, director of leisure and culture at Blackburn with Darwen Council, said the issue was one of perception rather than people being frightened of what actually happens.

He said: "I think Blackburn is a lot better than a lot of other places in terms of making sure there are different things to attract people to the town, that is why we have such a varied entertainments programme.

"Our Club Tropicana night on a Saturday is massively popular, and around half of the people who attend that are over 40, primarily because of the music from the 60s, 70s and 80s which is played.

"Town doesn't tend to get busy in the bars until after 10 or 11pm, when most of our shows, such as the ballet, the orchestras or whatever, have long finished. People really shouldn't worry."

Blackburn is home to a small cinema too. It, however, empties out before the crowds normally arrive.

Mr Harrison added: "I know plenty of people who might love to go to the cinema in town or to King George's Hall for a show but dare not for this image the town centre has.

"At 11pm, Northgate can be frightening."

Bingo used to be another alternative form of entertainment in the town centre. The Riva bingo hall still exists on the edge of Blackburn town centre.

But the town's other bingo hall, Mecca in St Peter Street, shut in 2001. At the time, owners Ranks said the decision was due to "commercial reasons" such as "declining number of people using the hall making it impossible to sustain."

Staff at the venue, at the time, said regulars had been put off travelling for evening bingo because they didn't feel safe in the town centre.

Perhaps predictably, the building was turned into a nightclub in 2004, called Jumpin' Jaks.

That's not to say Blackburn has become a push-over for bar owners wanting to move in.

Luminar Leisure - which owns Jumpin' Jaks - has tried on more than one occasion to move into two empty shops directly opposite Blackburn Cathedral.

Refusal was granted, not because of the potential anti-social impact of another bar, but because the council's policy was for shops on the street.

The drinking culture which has prevailed in Blackburn has caused problems for the Cathedral.

People attending evening services have had to endure abuse from young drunks, clergy have claimed in the past.

They now want a ban on new pubs in the town centre. The Dean of Blackburn, the Very Rev Christopher Armstrong, said: "The cathedral already has a problem from both litter, including condoms, needles, bottles and cans, and vandalism on a Saturday night."

In one council report, it was likened to a red-light district because of the antics of young people.