The managers of a Clacton nightclub are celebrating winning their fight to give a better deal to customers and take their business into the next millennium.

Peter and Geraldine Steele, at Fibbers in Pier Avenue, have been granted an extension of one hour to their music and dancing licence on Fridays and Saturdays to 3am.

Tendring councillors also agreed to change the last time at which people can enter or re-enter the club to 1am instead of midnight.

Mr Steele said that he was delighted with the decision, which made good sense and met the needs of modern-day clubbers.

"Other clubs in the town had 3am - albeit only on Saturdays - but then they would probably not need it for their premises on a Friday as well," he said.

"Our application was customer-led, and they wanted us to open to that time both nights, and it is all about meeting modern-day demands."

Mr Steele said that attitudes to licensing laws had started to change in recent times, and certain court decisions had affected that.

He added: "I was waiting for these to settle down before going for adjustments to suit our business and clients."

Mr Steele said that the midnight entry rule was one which virtually only applied in Tendring, and his legal team had been unable to find it being used anywhere else.

He said that it was introduced 12 years ago - mainly on the advice of the police - and was out-dated.

At that time pubs closed at 11pm, and the aim was to stop people pouring out of the pubs and into nightclubs just to extend their drinking time.

He added that if someone was the worse for wear and likely to cause trouble they would not be allowed in, whether it was 9pm or 12.30pm.

Councillors on Tendring licensing sub-committee agreed the changes, and Essex Police made no objections.

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