FOLLOWING the closure of Reubens night club, speculation about the future of another Leigh town centre attraction has been flatly dismissed by management.

Bosses of the popular BARbarellas bar and nightclub confirmed their long-term commitment to the town as the venue prepares to celebrate its second anniversary.

Chris Mark, Operations Manager for Pentakan Ltd., the owners of BARbarellas said: "As so often happens in our industry, when a venue becomes successful then the rumour mill almost predictably swings into action.

Mischief

"I can only smile when I think that somebody has nothing better to do than make mischief by dreaming up silly stories. We are absolutely delighted by the success of BARbarellas and this is reflected by our recent investment in new air-conditioning to make the venue even more comfortable as well as new furniture and plasma TV screens in the feeder bar.

"All of these innovations have proved extremely popular with our customers. Our commitment to BARbarellas is obviously long term and we look forward to going from strength to strength."

And Mr Mark welcomed higher profile policing in the King Street area.

He said: "The local force, in common with those in other areas, has very much taken a pro-active approach with regard to policing Leigh town centre in the evenings.

"Several premises, including BARbarellas, are situated in this locality so it makes sense for the police to operate from the area. Officers also visit venues during the course of most evenings to liaise with managements and to maintain the close co-operation between the police and licencees.

"We welcome this as it builds a strong relationship which can only help to maintain order on the streets of Leigh and this must be a good thing.

"At BARbarellas we also take an active part in schemes such as Pubwatch and intend to maintain our links with the local authorities. Those critics who see negativity in all this need to recognise the responsible attitudes of places like BARbarellas and to acknowledge the benefits of such policies.

"With government encouragement, the licensed trade is radically changing. We are moving out of the dark ages into a new era and we have no intention of being left behind."