PUB managers in Blackburn town centre have called time on shorter opening hours and will tonight urge council bosses for a "level playing field" with their competitors.

Six central Blackburn bars are bidding to stay open until 2am, after licensing bosses in the town allowed two others to open late just before Christmas.

But police have opposed the move saying they expect greater violence and disorder as people leave the pubs in large number after the 2am closing time.

Officers from the police licensing department are also trying to have the 2am drinks licences revoked for the two pubs, Moist and Cubes. Police did not oppose their applications for entertainment licences last December, expecting the extra hour opening would be without alcohol being served, and would act as additional drinking-up time, stopping everyone flooding onto the streets at once.

But now they fear the pub managers use the entertainments licence application as the first stage in getting to serve drinks later. The bars aiming for later opening hours are the Jubilee, The Grapes, Bentley's Cafe Bar, The Malt and Hops, the Sir Charles Napier and Baroque.

Sean Duckworth, who runs the Grapes, is leading the small group of independent publicans. He said: "All six pubs are independent, one-man-bands fighting against major companies with lots of money. All we want is to compete on an even basis." He said the extended entertainments licence also meant drinking-up time increased to half an hour.

He said: "The way I look at it we are under the same criteria as these nightclubs, so wWhy should I only have a 1am licence when they can stay open until 2am."

Mr Duckworth also disputed police claims that later opening would lead to increased crime.

Linda Fox is tenant of the Jubilee Hotel, which has been allowed to serve alcohol until 1am for the last three years, said : "Why should one get it and others not? We are in competition." People come out later now. When the pub used to shut at 11pm people came out at 7.30pm, but now people go out at 9.30pm."

But police have objected to the moves saying it would "create an intolerable and unmanageable level of disorder in the town centre between 2am and 3am".: "It is impossible to draw any conclusion other than the extra consumption of alcohol available to town centre visitors is leading to increased levels of assaults and public disorder."

The report said that the number of assaults peaked between 1am and 2am, an increase of 18 per cent to 227 assaults taking place between 10pm and 3am.

But another Blackburn publican Margo Carmichael-Grimshaw, who owns four nightclubs and two pubs, said she supported police opposition to longer opening hours for the pubs. She said: "The longer the hours the less the atmosphere."

Mrs Carmichael-Grimshaw said: "I feel it's setting the town back an hour at night. It's not going to get any extra money or trade."

But Stephen Winstanley, licensee of the Sir Charles Napier, said the late night opening would boost town centre trade and regeneration because late night opening attracted people into Blackburn from surrounding areas. He added: "If the pubs here shut at 11pm there would be no point people coming into town."

A decision will be made by Blackburn with Darwen Council's licensing committee when it meets tonight. If it is approved the pubs will need magistrates' permission to continue serving alcohol until 2am.