Drinking in the last chance saloon

Officers arrested more than 20 people on Friday, Saturday and Monday night for drink related, yobbish behaviour and have now said "enough is enough".

Licensing bosses are currently issuing the landlords and managers with verbal warnings but have not ruled out taking them to court or "naming and shaming" them.

A police spokeswoman told the Herald: "It has got to the point where things have got so bad the police, working with the licensing officer, are considering gathering evidence and prosecuting the licensees.

"We won't tolerate licensees allowing their customers to become so intoxicated that they exit the club in a disorderly fashion, leaving us to clear up the mess."

Five people were arrested outside one town centre venue on Monday night, taking a total of 10 officers off the street at the same time for hours while they processed paper work.

Every weekend police run specialist operations to cut violent crime and drink-related trouble in the town but things have been getting progressively worse.

Managers will now be reminded serving alcohol to already drunk pubbers and clubbers is a criminal offence and they will be prosecuted if problems persist.

Three town centre pubs and clubs currently top the trouble list but police declined to name them before they had been given one last chance to sort themselves out.

The spokeswoman, speaking to the Herald on Tuesday afternoon, added: "If someone is there swearing and shouting and acting in a disorderly manner we will get that person off the street before you get the criminal damage and the assaults.

"People shouldn't have to put up with that sort of behaviour."