LATE-NIGHT revellers urinating through letter boxes and smashing windows are making Clitheroe like a Wild West town at night, a public meeting was told.

The late-night drinking problems are being caused because the town centre has some of the most popular pubs in East Lancashire.

The meeting, to look at ways of dealing with the nuisance, was held in Ribble Valley Council chamber and attended by publicans, residents, councillors and police chiefs.

Two town centre pubs have caused controversy after being granted midnight licences and others look set to follow suit.

Ninety residents of Lowergate expressed concern about noise, vandalism, broken bottles and windows, and anti-social behaviour, including urinating through letter boxes and climbing on to balconies

Gillian Hill, of Lowergate, said up to 100 people gathered at a taxi rank near her house at weekend, "most with glasses and bottles which end up in our garden. If the taxi rank was moved, it might help," she added. Bill Shepherd, for residents of Bowland Court in King Lane, said it was "at least 1am" before they could sleep on Fridays and Saturdays.

One Parson Lane resident said Clitheroe was "becoming like the Wild West" and said drinking in the streets should be outlawed.

"It is up to the council to take the initiative and create a bye-law against drinking in the streets," he said.

But Phil Knight, of the popular Keystreet pub in Lowergate, said: "We watch what's going on outside our pubs. We 'police' them at great personal risk, which we are not obliged to do.

"Clitheroe is popular with young people throughout the area who want to drink here."

The meeting, chaired by Ribble Valley Council leader Howel Jones, called for the bye-law, closed circuit TV on the taxi rank, the rank moved, better late-night facilities for young people, such as a bowling alley and a nightclub, and more bobbies on the beat.

Town centre solicitor John Houldsworth said: "We should consider ourselves lucky to live in this wonderful town.

"Local publicans should be praised for running some of the best establishments in the area.

"Other towns suffer far worse problems. I hope this is the start of more meetings to come on this issue."

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