UNIFORMED security men could soon be patrolling the streets of Bolton town centre in a crackdown on binge-drinking troublemakers.

Bar owners in Nelson Square have met police and agreed in principle to help with the cost of watching over town centre revellers. The guards are likely to be trained door staff who would help keep order, direct drinkers around the town and respond to incidents in bars and clubs. The men, wearing high profile uniforms, would also hand out leaflets warning of the dangers of binge drinking.

Police want to extend the scheme to the rest of the pubs and bars in the town and will be seeking the views of landlords.

And there are also moves to employ a night-time town centre manager to oversee the running of Bolton's nightlife.

Licensees will be asked to make a contribution to pay for the new position.

Greater Manchester Police currently spends around £500,000 each year on policing Bolton town centre.

Landlords are bearing the brunt of a campaign against widespread binge drinking among youngsters.

Last week, police said they planned to carry out sting operations against pubs and shops selling alcohol to under-18s in an effort to stop young people drinking and damaging their future health.

At the same time, a new Government strategy aims to encourage the setting up of a town centre marshal scheme to patrol taxi ranks.

Aron Sloly, manager of J2 bars and nightclub in Nelson Square, came up with the idea with other licensees from venues such as Red on the Square, Life Bar cafe, Maloney's and The Bar.

He said: "We have had a meeting about this and everyone has agreed in principle to the idea.

"Nelson Square has no major problem at the moment, and we see the extra security as a deterrent.

"They will help to stop any trouble arising and can assist inside venues on the square if needed.

"The police are doing a great job and we want to provide a service alongside them to help to keep our own staff safe as well as the customers."

Darrell D'Costa, manager of Barracuda Bar said: "We would welcome the extra security.

"We have experienced some problems with binge drinkers and anything to solve this and help to keep people safe will be great for everyone."

Chief Supt Pat McKelvey said the moves would help in the drive to make licensees take more responsibility for their premises.

He said: "Gone are the days where they can simply take in customers, fill them with alcohol and turf them out on to the streets.

"It's good to see they are putting more effort into looking after the people who put the money into the venues.

"There is a lot of good work going on in the reduction of incidents in clubs and bars.

"We hope that the new attendants will help to continue this by ushering people to and from clubs and bars and stopping them congregating, which is how a lot of problems arise."

The licensees will meet later this week to continue discussions about the scheme.

Drinkers out for a good time

DRINKERS in Bolton say that it is simply too easy to binge on alcohol in the town writes Leroy Holcroft

Myself and photographer Marc Berry headed into Bolton on Friday night to investigate the problem of binge-drinking, visiting bars along Bradshawgate and Churchgate before heading to J2 nightclub, in Nelson Square.

And although there were no signs of trouble, we found bars in the town centre offering drink promotions as liberal as three for the price of one, highlighting the fact that a quiet drink can easily get out of hand.

Alex Thompson, aged 20, of Albert Road, Heaton, said competition between venues in the town promoted binge drinking.

He added: "The offers encourage people to drink more for their money. If drinks continue to become cheaper as bars try to out-do each other, it will just get worse."

Craig Auty, aged 20, of Inverlael Avenue, Heaton, said: "Cheap drinks offers make everything worse.

"Every night in Bolton there is somewhere offering cheap alcohol."

Others said the binge drinking situation was definitely a nationwide problem.

Gemma Greenhalgh, aged 21, of Chorley Street, said: "The problems come from people only going out at weekends, and their aim more often than not is to get drunk.

"Most are out for a good night, but it can lead to trouble, and it is the same everywhere."

Simon Brown, aged 32, who lives in Bolton, said: "There are simply too many pubs and bars in Bolton. Areas like Bradshawgate are all about drinking. We need more alternatives."

The Government's new alcohol strategy aims to cut binge drinking in an effort to curb alcohol related crime.

Aron Sloly, manager of J2 Bars and Nightclub in Nelson Square, said cheap drinks promotions were "simply a way to fill the venue".

The club, formerly Bar Juice, has ceased its cheaper drinks deals, and now employs a doorman to call taxis for customers to ensure they make it home safely.

They also highlight their promotion of responsible drinking on flyers given to clubbers.

Mr Sloly added: "It's more about the clientele that a venue attracts. If you aim your night at people who want to get extremely drunk then you are often asking for trouble."