FED-UP Poulton residents living near the town's two night clubs were angered by a decision last week to renew the clubs' licences -- but managed to voice their objections at a heated council meeting.

People living close to The Residence, on Vicarage Road, and The Hub, at the Teanlowe shopping centre, have complained about excessive noise from the clubs and rowdy behaviour by clubbers on their way home.

Residents of Prudy Hill claimed that they have had to put up with late night fighting, vandalism, broken glass and revellers using the grass verges as toilets.

Councillors agreed to renew both clubs' licences at the meeting at Poulton Civic Centre last Thursday. But The Residence's licence renewal was subject to the condition that the club fits special devices to its fire doors, which will silence the music in the club if the doors are opened. And two other measures aimed at cutting disturbance to neighbours were decided.

Firstly, police were asked to enforce the "no access" rule to neighbouring Prudy Hill. Residents said that although there was a "no access" sign at the entrance to the street, taxis picking up clubbers use their street to turn round. One family, who live on Prudy Hill, said they have had their garden wall knocked down three times by taxis.

In a second measure to cut down potential trouble, Residence owner Elliott Simpson was asked to make it his duty to try to direct clubbers away from residential areas.

Mr Simpson said that he did his best to be a good neighbour: "I do take on board that the residents are concerned. We do our utmost to keep them happy. We are here to help, not to cause the neighbours any trouble.

"We have six doormen here when people leave the club and they make sure that no bottles or glasses get in or out of the club.

"We are a members-only club with a more up-market clientele. If we were a trouble club the police would be on to us. The police and the council are very happy."

And he said that there was now no noise problem from the club. "The problem has been cured. We've put a £2,000 sound-proofed door on the club.

"All the complaints were highly exaggerated and unsubstantiated. There's been no black marks against us. They have to exaggerate them to make them a little bit more substantial," he said. But neighbours disagreed and said that the council decision was not the end of the story. John Pickering, from Prudy Hill, said: "We are not being deterred by it. Just the opposite. We will make sure that they don't continue to cause the kind of nuisance they've caused within the last six months."

He said residents would ensure Mr Simpson stuck to the new measures outlined by the council. "We will watch them like a hawk, " he said.

But he believed that neighbours did not get a proper hearing at the meeting: "The way the meeting was structured didn't give a us a chance to express what we felt. We were supressed somewhat."

Carol Woolley, chairman of Poulton Historic Society, was also at the meeting. "It was disappointing, but one of the reasons it was so disappointing is that the public are unaware that they can make their views known at these meetings. We will continue objecting next year."

Hilton Dawson, MP for Lancaster and Wyre, said he was pleased that people went to last week's meeting to air their views. "It is important that licencees recognise the wider implications of their clubs on the surrounding community and residents," he said. Mr Dawson held a public meeting last month to discuss the increase in late-night rowdy behaviour in Poulton.

The owner of The Hub was unavailable for comment at the time of going to press.