CHEAP supermarket alcohol, the smoking ban and high operating costs are behind the decline of nightclubs in Swindon and the rest of the UK, according to one town venue manager.

In the week industry figures revealed there has been a 50 per cent drop in the number of nightclubs open in the UK over the past 10 years Daniel Leddy said Swindon, too, has suffered.

Pop, Liquor Lounge and the Brunel Rooms are just some of the names which have come and gone in Swindon in recent times, leaving Old Town’s Suju nightspot as the frontrunner in the town.

Daniel, who has been manager of the High Street club for 18 months, said: “It’s expense more than anything else.

“With the price of a pint in the bar, it’s so much cheaper for people to buy their beer in the supermarket and drink it at home.

“Those that were in Swindon didn’t do enough to put on big names in the town, but when they did they went too big and either overcharged or didn’t deliver at all.

“I used to go out in Swindon on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and even Sundays.

“Now, there’s nothing. I don’t think the smoking ban’s helped either.

“You have to stand outside and a lot of venues haven’t got a garden.

“The ban’s hit pubs and bars more than clubs, but of course they’re the feeders for the clubs.

“The Spot was brilliant for us when it was open.”

The Association Of Licensed Multiple Retailers, which represents venues, said in 2005 there were 3,144 clubs and this is now down to 1,733.

Its chief executive Kate Nicholls said: “In some towns they are gone for good and we’re never going to get them back.

Daniel, who was assistant manager at Suju for 18 months before he took on the managerial role, said the club had outlasted its competitors because of the loyalty it had shown to Swindon acts.

He said the familiarity customers had with Suju’s DJs helped establish the club’s reputation.

He said the high turnover of clubs and owners was a result of those looking to make a fast buck.

“People come in to make their money and either make it then go, or quickly realise they’re not going to make anything at all and go,” he said.

While the outlook is not healthy, the Suju boss is confident there will always be a core number of nightclubs around the country and the scene will never totally die.

“There will always be a core amount of clubs,” he said.

“The Ministry of Sound and Gatecrasher are brands which will never die and always have supporters.”

“It’s different for the smaller venues. It’s expensive to run a club now.

“You make decent money on the alcohol, but paying the staff is a huge bill, especially if you don’t use them all.

“The licences and paying for the big name DJs aren’t cheap either.

“People don’t realise quite how much it does cost.”