A TASK force has been set up to investigate a slump in Accrington's night-time economy after pub landlords said they feared for their businesses.

Council leaders have set up the group to look at ways of promoting the town after numbers at weekends dropped between 30 and 50 per cent. Even the town's once-famous Sunday night out, which brought people from across East Lancashire, has tailed away.

Landlords, at a meeting of Accrington's town centre regeneration board, said their trade had been crippled with Saturday now the only busy night.

Tony Dobson, a councillor and manager of the Arcade Bar in Warner Street, said: "Once it was in fashion to come to Accrington on a Sunday, it doesn't appear to be now.

"Something has changed in the last year and Saturday is the only night you could possibly call busy."

"People are only seeming to come in on special occasions now. Otherwise they stay at home with cheap booze sold in the supermarkets.

"It will kill our night-time economy."

Mick Cookson, owner of Opium, in Willow Street, the town's main late-night Sunday venue, said he was at a loss to explain the slump.

Opium's customers on a Sunday have fallen from 500 to 300 this year.

He said: "Because everyone comes up here at the end of the night, we are still the busiest place but it has definitely dropped off on Sundays.

"I definitely don't think it is because of supermarkets. Maybe money is tighter at the moment.

"We are doing nothing differently to what we were 12 months ago."

Until recently, other neighbouring towns had little to offer on a Sunday night.

Now venues such as Jumpin' Jaks in Blackburn and Lava-Ignite in Burnley are pulling crowds in on a Sunday.

Hyndburn council leader, Peter Britcliffe, believes later opening hours at pubs in smaller towns across the borough could also be to blame. He said: "You can stay and drink in Oswaldtwistle until 1am now rather than dash into Accrington at 11pm.

"I bought alcohol in a supermarket for the first time in a long time recently, I was amazed how cheap it was."