BOB Marley and a pint of mild please!

That's the order of the day at a Great Harwood pub where a new reggae night is proving a huge hit with punters.

The once-a-week reggae special at the Duke of Wellington is the brainchild of reggae-loving landlord Martyn Owen.

Martyn, who has been in charge of the Blackburn Road pub for six years, fell in love with the bass-heavy Jamaican music during the 1970s.

He found during his recent DJ sessions at the pub that reggae records were getting a good response, and that led to the idea of a dedicated night.

He said: "I was just playing reggae for half-an-hour or so and I was getting a lot of good feedback from people.

"They were saying they wanted a lot more, so I thought I would go the whole hog."

Some pub-goers dance, while others just listen to the music while supping a pint, said Martyn.

He added: "It's good music to relax to and people seem to chill out.

"We do have people dancing too, it's a real feel-good factor."

Reggae music originated in the sound system culture of Jamaica in the early 1960s and harnessed the country's nationalist spirit as it became independent from British colonial rule. Over the following decades the reggae genre split into numerous subdivisions including dub, roots, rock steady and ragga.

Its greatest exponent was Bob Marley who took reggae to a worldwide audience. Marley died of cancer in 1981. Other reggae greats include King Tubby, Lee 'Scratch' Perry and Jimmy Cliff.

Martyn, who has been married to wife Heather for 22 years and has an 18-year-old daughter Rebecca, said his first memory of listening to reggae was a UB40 record.

His top five reggae tunes of all time are: 1. Exodus by Bob Marley and the Wailers, 2. Night Nurse - Gregory Isaacs, 3. Red, Red, Wine - UB40, 4. Liquidator - The Harry J All Stars and 5. Double Barrel - Dave and Ansell Collins

Martyn said: "I have been a reggae fan all my life. I was brought up on it.

"It's never been a commercial thing, but still has a very strong following. But, as far as I know, there is no other venue doing it. There is no other pub or club in the area which caters for reggae so we are really pleased."

The reggae nights take place every Thursday, from 7.30pm to 11pm.