BLACKBURN needs more venues that appeal to people over the age of 25 if its night-time economy is to grow and thrive, councillors have warned.

Members from both sides of the political fence - Labour and Conservative - have called on Blackburn with Darwen Council's regeneration department to make a vibrant nightlife a priority for the town centre.

They believe too much emphasis has been placed on creating attractions which bring in 18 to 24 year olds from outside of the area.

Councillors spoke out during a meeting of the borough's licensing committee, at which they discussed plans to update Blackburn's town centre strategy and develop a plan for the future regeneration of the heart of the town.

Councillor Ron O'Keeffe, a Labour member who used to be president of the Blackburn Chamber of Trade, said: "If you go into places like Manchester people pour out of offices and shops at the end of the day and go for a meal or a drink in a bar somewhere.

"There is none of that here in Blackburn. At 5.30pm the shutters go down and it is a ghost town until the pubs open later at night.

"We need to encourage restaurants to come into Blackburn and get bars to open up in the evening."

He added: "There has to be something to attract a wider variety of people.

"Shops need to keep their window displays lit up so people can see them at night rather than everything going dark."

Conservative councillor Edward Harrison agreed and said: "People over the age of 25 still enjoy going out but there is nothing for them in Blackburn.

"All we have are hordes and hordes of young people coming into bars which are obviously just aimed at them.

"As a council, officers should be trying to get more pubs and bars which appeal to the over 25s so there is a more mixed economy in the evening."

Part of the new town centre plan includes dividing the town centre up into districts.

The area around Northgate has been designated for cultural and leisure activities and would be promoted as an area to develop a mixed evening economy.

Clare Turner, marketing and tourism manager at the council, said: "Another possible project involves attracting more people to live in Blackburn town centre, which would boost the evening economy.

"A thriving evening economy is one of our goals.

"Market forces currently mean the pubs open later but we hope that will change."

The consultation on the town centre plan continues until November 16. For more information, contact 01254 262111.

You can also email your comments to the council on: regeneration@blackburn.gov.uk