RESIDENTS in Little Lever have won the fight to stop a nearby night club from opening.

Residents of Elm Road and High Street said they feared the Dusk 2 Dawn nightclub would attract gangs of youths, noise and trouble if the application was granted.

But proprietor, John Holroyd of Glenmore Close said he is devastated at having his application for a special hours certificate and a justices's license refused.

Mr Holroyd, who passed his national licence certificate in January, has taken over the lease of the club for the next three years. It was his plan to run the club with his 21-year-old son, offering live music, dancing and karaoke.

He said: "It is a basement premises for 150 people. It is not a public house, where people go for a quiet drink. It is a nightclub and is constructed for the use of music and dancing."

The court heard that Mr Holroyd did not have a public entertainments licence, a pre-requisite for the special hours certificate and was unsure of how he could fund work to the property, needed to meet environmental standards.

Mr Holroyd said he was in a "catch 22" situation. He said: "The landlord has agreed to meet me half-way with the cost of the work, but without the late licence the business will not generate enough money to justify the costs."

Despite these short issues, residents said their main concern was the noise and disturbance.

Elm Street residents, Maureen and Anthony Connell who are also local ward councillors, complained there were insufficient parking spaces and said they feared taxis would create a lot of noise in the early hours.

Fellow resident, May Barlow said: "There is a residential area only a few 100 yards away from the club. This will cause so much upset - you have to remember this is not Bolton centre, this is a small village."

Mr Holroyd was refused the special hours certificate as he did not have the relevant public entertainments licence, could not produce any menus and the premises were deemed unsuitable. Without the certificate the justices licence was seen not to be viable.

Mr Holroyd said: "I am devastated. It is a bitter blow and I'm very disappointed. My main concern is my son, who has been out of work since November and was planning to make this his career. I feel empty and am just hoping I can sort something out."