BOLTON town centre’s nightlife should not be portrayed like the ‘Wild West’, according to a club owner.

Sam Zegrour, who runs Level, says that a decreasing police presence has presented problems for town centre venues over recent years, but believes that the vast majority of revellers go out ‘to have a good time and nothing more’.

On Wednesday, McCauley’s nightclub had its licence revoked by Bolton Council, after a mass brawl in Bradshawgate last month.

Level has been repeatedly praised by police for its efforts to improve safety and security for its customers.

Mr Zegrour said: “I don’t think it is any secret among our community that the lack of visible policing at nighttime has made things harder for us to manage crowds, especially at closing time. It’s out of the local police’s hands, but what we do lack is a visible deterrent.

“Ninety-nine per cent of people who come out do so to have a good time and nothing more. But there are those who do cause problems, and in the days when there were police vans and beat cops on the corner of Bradshawgate it was better.

“The town should not be portrayed like the Wild West, because it isn’t.

“We do have people who overstep the mark, but when you have to wait a few minutes for police to arrive that can lead to problems. Fundamentally, it comes down to police cuts and that is a national epidemic.”

This week, Greater Manchester Police’s Chief Constable Ian Hopkins called for the force to be bolstered with around 700 new officers this week.

He cited official figures showing GMP had 8,148 officers in March, 2010, but this had dropped by 23 per cent to 6,297 by March last year.

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham also took to social media to talk about the strain the force is under, stating that it is ‘stretched to the limit’ in the middle of the ongoing terror investigation.

Mr Zegrour added: “We have to grin and bare it and do the best job we can for the town. We have a mix of national bar and club operators and independent businesses, and for the most part it is a well-oiled machine.”