FRED the phantom seems to be behind the ghoulish goings-on at a Blackburn nightspot.

Since the story of the recent spooky activities at the main 'bubbles' bar at Utopia appeared in the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, staff at the club say they have been inundated with calls about the ghost. Many people recall a phantom, fondly named Fred, who used to circulate the former Cavendish Club in the early 1970s.

Last week Burnley exorcist "CJ" examined the premises. And to calm fears manager Mr Matt Ashley has now agreed to hold a 24-hour vigil and another exorcism at the discotheque to prove that Fred is safe.

One of the calls came from Susan Ford, who worked as a cleaner with her mother Faye at the club in 1974.

"My mother used to see a man dressed in Victorian clothes walk round near the dressing room and then go on to the stage," Susan said.

Michaela Chesney-Moran, sales manager at Utopia, said: "As soon as the exorcist walked in he said there was a male presence. It was a boiling hot day and as he walked round he made us feel his hands and they were freezing."

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