EXCLUSIVEOur tiny Lancashire town is being turned into the Wild West by louts getting into brawls on boozed-up drug-fuelled weekends. Now we want the council to BAN licences being given to pubs, bars and takeaways
A tiny Lancashire town is being turned into the Wild West by partygoers dressed as Batman who are getting into brawls on boozy and drug-fuelled weekends, locals say.
Fed-up residents of Poulton-le-Fylde have now started a petition calling on the local council to halt licences being issued to bars, pubs and takeaways in a bid to stop drunken louts blighting their lives.
Some heading out for a boozy night are making a 40 minute journey from as far away as Lancaster as they see the town as a 'safer' alternative to the dazzling lights of Blackpool.
The explosion in the number of bars and pubs opening in recent years is 'overkill', locals say, and are causing antisocial behaviour to rampage throughout the town centre.
And the violence almost turned deadly last year when groom-to-be Lee Burns was punched in the head on his stag do that left him with a fractured skull and two bleeds on the brain.
The historic town used to be known for its independent shops and cafes. But now evenings are more commonly greeted by people dressed up as Batman on stag dos swinging punches at drunk revellers in the quaint market town.
There are more than 30 bars, pubs and takeaways in the town with a population of just 18,000, and, according to Discover Wyre, Poulton-le-Flyde 'comes alive at night'.
MailOnline heard from locals during one recent visit about a man's girlfriend taking off her shoe and throwing it at a man who was brawling with her boyfriend near The Best Kebab shop.
Fed-up residents of Poulton-le-Fylde have now started a petition calling on the local council to halt licences being issued to bars, pubs and takeaways in a bid to stop drunken louts blighting their lives (Pictured: Police stand outside a bar in the town)
Some heading out for a boozy night are making a 40 minute journey from as far away as Lancaster as they see the town as a 'safer' alternative to the dazzling lights of Blackpool
Police and an unmarked police car can be seen in the town on December 13, 2024
Locals claim it is a 'ghost town' during the day but marred by 'chaos' at night with a spike in violence and antisocial behaviour.
Waiting for a fare, taxi driver John Roskell agreed there were too many bars in the town.
The 62-year-old told MailOnline: 'It is overkill with so many pubs and bars in such a small place.
'It's crazy really how many there are. We now have so many people who come here for a night out.
'They come from towns and villages all over the place. I've taken people home from as far as Lancaster.
'And you do see trouble with fighting by the kebab takeaways late at night.
'You get people who want a more upmarket place than nearby Blackpool but you still get the same problems with fights.
'A lot of it is fuelled by cocaine but you get that anywhere. A poor lad on a stag do was badly attacked here a while ago.
'He was just punched from behind as he was walking out of a bar.'
Groom-to-be Mr Burns, 41, was left fighting for life after a punch left him with a fractured skull and two bleeds on the brain on his Grand National-themed stag do.
He had been to the famous Liverpool horse race with friends on April 16 last year just weeks before he was due to marry his fiancée Sara, 38.
The couple later married as he began his recovery after he had further surgery to have a titanium plate fitted.
Closed banks have been turned into late-night venues in the 'posh' neighbour to the tourist mecca of Blackpool which is just five miles away.
Locals claim it is a 'ghost town' during the day but marred by 'chaos' at night with a spike in violence and antisocial behaviour (Picture taken on December 13, 2024)
Lee (pictured) had bleeding on his brain, meaning he needed emergency surgery and was put into an induced coma
Lee was due to marry Sara (pictured) just weeks before the horrific attack took place on his stag do
Lee and Sara have been together for more than 10 years and they have children
Stag and hen do's also descend on the town with trains bringing party-goers on a Saturday night.
Student Melanie Robinson, 19, said: 'It's a good night out and nicer than Blackpool.
'You see stag do or lads falling over and fighting.
'I saw a woman throw a shoe at a man fighting her boyfriend – mind you she missed then fell over herself. It was pretty funny.'
In May a gang of masked thugs armed with baseball bats smashed the The Cube bar's windows just two months before five men tried to set it on fire.
Retired engineer Roger Bailey, 78, said: 'I'm not in favour of closing any of them down.
'I still go out myself even though I'm getting on a bit. I go for a walk and then have a pint to reward myself.
'But there are a lot of pubs. Some used to be banks and there do seem a lot of them. Sometimes there is trouble by The Cube kebab shop or by the with people fighting.
'Some of The Cube's windows have been smashed and I know the kebab owner has had to throw people out when there's fighting and stuff.'
Local resident Diane Townend admitted the town can get quite wild at times.
She said: 'Poulton's very good for a night out. It is a bit safer than Blackpool and is a lot more compact.'
'It can get pretty rowdy but Poulton can't just rely on shops for the economy any more and if you have to rely on bars and restaurants, then that is the way to go.'
Long-term resident Sheila Finlay said she started the anti-bar petition as she has 'witnessed with heartbreak the steady decline of our small town over the past 15 years'.
She said: 'Gone are the bustling shops and businesses that used to invigorate our streets in the daytime.
'Every closed business rapidly transforms into yet another pub, bar, or takeaway, leading to a surge in crime and antisocial behaviour.
'Even our police station was not spared, now serving as a food place.
'The once peaceful nights of Poulton are now marred by the chaos caused by increased night-time activities.'
MailOnline has contacted Wyre council for comment.
