AN EXTENSION to opening hours on Saturday night at Nero?s Nightclub is expected to reduce the problems of noise and rowdyism.
From Saturday, Nero?s will open until 2am, but the bar will shut at 1am, the same as Friday nights.
The club and bar currently shuts at 1am on Saturdays with 20 minutes? drinking up time, resulting in everyone leaving the club around the same time.
Staff say that an extra hour after the bar closes will mean people will leave in drifts rather than all at once, helping to reduce any noise problems outside.
Inspector Dai Anthill, who is based at Okehampton Police Station, said Nero?s previously had permission to extend opening hours on a Friday night to 2am and this had not had an adverse affect.
?Occasionally we do have problems in Okehampton, but these result from a considerable number of people coming out of the premises at the same time,? he said. ?On Friday nights now we find people coming out in groups at different times throughout the hour between 1am and 2am.
?This is the theory behind the new licensing laws which keep premises open longer, hence we do not have the problems of kicking out times.?