A NIGHTCLUB'S bid to open its doors until 4am at weekends has been slammed as "unacceptable" by police.

And senior officers have also expressed concern over violence at Burnley nightspots - highlighting more than 80 complaints in and around two clubs alone.

The Arena nightspot and Chaplin's Bar in Red Lion Street has applied to Burnley Council for a two-hour extension to its music and dancing licence opening hours on Friday and Saturday nights.

But police say opening should remain to the present 2am.

Inspector Michael White said an extension "will put at risk public tranquillity and increase the likelihood of disturbance in the town centre of Burnley". Equally "unacceptable", said Inspector White, was a bid by Millennium nightclub - formerly VIPs - to vary its music licence to 3am on Friday and Saturdays - a one hour extension.

In a report to the council's licensing sub-committee he says that police received 20 reports of incidents involving the club, then VIPs.

A one-hour extension would "almost certainly" increase the likelihood of public disturbance and he asks the committee to place the police view on record should any disturbance or problems arise as a result of the council decision on the issue.

Insp White states that although police have no formal objection to the renewal of the existing 3am music and dancing licence at the basement club at Genesis and Mean Cat Daddies nightclub - formerly Panama Joe's - in Hammerton Street, at weekends, he places on record the fact that between March 1998 and January this year police had been called to incidents in or around the club on 68 occasions. He writes: "The vast majority of these calls were made between the hours of 10pm and 3am.

"In addition, of this total 21 incidents reported were in relation to assaults and a further 13 related to allegations of assault or behaviour by the bouncers employed by the club."

Inspector White also expresses concern over an application by the Sidewalk 53 pub in Boot Way for its music and dancing licence to be extended to midnight Monday to Saturdays.

"Should the entertainment licence be extended an hour after the legal drinking up time, I believe that intoxicants will be served beyond the permitted hours......Burnley has a sufficient number of nightclubs to cater for the late hours," he adds.

The licensing sub-committee, which meets tomorrow will also decide whether to renew the Bethesda Street Millennium Club's licence after four convictions last year of licence holder Matteo Gentile for employing unlicensed door supervisors.

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