A PETITION from music fans who claim entertainment laws are strangling grassroots music at pubs in Blackburn and Darwen will be delivered to Prime Minister Tony Blair this weekend.

More than 2,000 people have signed a petition asking for changes in the law after a series of police clampdowns on venues in Darwen.

In the latest incident last Sunday, police went to the Crown Hotel in Redearth Road, Darwen, where staff were told to pull the plug on a five-piece band.

Campaigner Mickey Taylor, who will take the petition to Downing Street this weekend, said: "The law at the moment is a farce. It is out of date and open to different interpretations.

"The cost of public entertainment licences and all the necessary work is beyond the realms of most public houses and a lot of pubs have been forced to cancel acts."

Blackburn with Darwen Council recently sent letters to pubs in the borough which it suspects are hosting entertainment without a valid licence. At a recent public meeting to discuss the issue, the council's principal environmental health officer Trevor Kempster explained that the law was in place to protect the safety of pub customers.

He denied claims that the council had changed its policy on enforcing the law.

The campaigners hope to enlist the help of the Brewers and Licensed Retailers Association in their bid to have the law changed.

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