ACCRINGTON Police's former licensing officer has entered the row over the town's dying nightlife with a swipe at councillors.

Ex-Sergeant Brian Hopwood blasted Hynd-burn Council's Licensing Sub-Committee for handing out too many licences, especially late licences, in the 1990s.

He says this means there is no longer enough trade to go round.

We reported last week that people were deserting the town's pubs and clubs in their hundreds and it was feared many would go out of business within months unless something was done.

Sgt Hopwood, who opposed many licence applications on behalf of the police, said: "It was my view that there was only so much money to spend and only so many punters to spend it so there would eventually be problems.

"The weaker premises would be forced out of business and as the jam was spread thinnner and thinner over the ever-increasing number of outlets, even the bigger attractions would suffer.

"However, the Licensing Sub-Committee did not see it that way. Its primary concern appeared to be to compete with its rivals in Blackburn and Burnley. In some respects it succeeded because there was a time when Accrin-gton had more late drinking licences than those two towns.

"Its decisions and apparent avowed intent to turn Acccrington into the East Lancashire mecca for younger drinkers made decision-making by licensing magistrates a very difficult process and unlimately they too granted licences of all types to virtually any premises that applied.

"In recent years Accrington has seen the demise of Lar-de-dars, Afrikas, Churchills and several smaller pubs for the very reasons the trade was warned about all those years ago.

"Too much can be worse in the long run than too little. Creating a free-for-all has backfired badly on the licensed trade which now claims to be at a loss to understand why.

"Maybe they should have listened. Perhaps I wasn't such a killjoy after all."