IT'S going to be doubles all round this New Year's Eve - double for the taxi, double for the clubs and even double for the kebab!

Anyone venturing out of their house and into Preston's town centre on New Year's Eve had better be prepared for the party of their lives - and a cashcard that's ready to go into overdrive.

Even the most modest Preston party-goer can expect to fork out a whopping £170, - before you even order your first round.

Punters can expect to pay, on average, £15 each way for the taxi if travelling from one of Preston's estates.

Preston's Hackney Carriage Association has asked the local council to authorise the charging of double normal New Year rates, meaning it will cost £4.20 just to get into the cab.

Association secretary Sandra Chester said: "We cannot charge whatever we want. We are looking to double the Christmas and New Year rates because the cabbies deserve it.

"Without the rise, more than half of the taxi drivers won't work."

And so to the restaurants. Of all the bistros in town, Cannon's in Cannon Street quoted the cheapest deal - £55 for a buffet!

The Millennium seems to have come as a surprise to most of the pubs. Many of the big bars, including Yates' and The Varsity don't know if they are going to be open while Wall Street is either going to offer an all-inclusive package or charge an entrance fee.

A spokesman for Allied Domeq, which owns the Flax and Firkin, said: "Our pubs will be open and all the drinks will cost the usual price, no door charge."

Downing six pints should cost £15, which brings the evening's total to £85, and it's still early.

All of the town's clubs are refusing to go on the record and reveal their New Year entrance fees, let alone drink prices.

One manager said: "We know we can at least double our usual rates, and then some. I'd say you're looking at around £65-£70 to come into any club."

Nightclub firm Northern Leisure alone is expecting to make £2 million on the night.

By the time you leave a club, we reckon you will have spent £155 per head.

And if you're thinking of finishing the night with a kebab, one Church Street vendor says punters will have to pay £7.50 for the snack.

Then there's the taxi home, again costing at least £15.

By the time you get to bed, you'll have spent £177.50.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.