PETERSFIELD police are calling for a six-month trial if plans to extend the opening hours at the town's nightclub are given the go-ahead.

This week Inspector Mark Bradford said police also wanted 28 days' notice of any events taking place at the club and a chance to look at its closed-circuit television system.

But one of the licence holders, Richard Luff, told The Herald he felt the police were being unreasonable.

He said he was prepared to negotiate but felt a trial period was unacceptable. He had already been running the club without complaints for five years.

The CCTV at the club would be the same on Thursdays, he added, as it was on Fridays and Saturdays when the club was currently open late. It had been acceptable to the police until now.

Mr Luff said he believed 28 days' notice of a function was unreasonable as it meant he would have to turn away late bookings. He said he was prepared to give 14 days' notice.

Vertigo in Swan Street may soon get permission to open until 2 am every night of the week if a variation of its current licence is approved.

At present the club is licensed to open from 11 am to 2 am on Fridays and Saturdays and until midnight from Monday to Thursday. On Sunday the opening hours are 11 am to llpm.

Now licence holders Mr Luff, Samantha Betts and Angus Gordon have applied for a new licence to hold functions until 2 am every night of the week.

Mr Luff stressed that they did not intend to open the club seven nights a week, but they may open more than the current two.

"At present every time we want an extra licence we have to apply to the courts, which takes time and costs us £84 each time. This means we will have the licence if we want it."

He told The Herald: "I don't agree with the six-month trial because Sam and I have been here for five years already and suddenly they want to put us on probation because they think Thursdays are different from Fridays."

At one stage, he said, the police had asked the licence holders to instal a camera system which would cost £50,000.

"The system we have has been acceptable for the last three years," said Mr Luff.

He said there had been no complaints from club neighbours in Swan Street.

Insp Bradford told The Herald: "We have to tinge our response with a degree of realism. We are heading for deregulation across the board in terms of licensing hours and we have to try to manage our position with that looming on the horizon."

He said the police did not have the power to object to the licence, but they were suggesting that there was a trial period. "We are asking for six months, after which the licence could be reviewed.

"We have also asked for 28 days' notice of events and information about their nature to allow us time to make sure we have enough officers on duty."

He said there was a precedent for this with the nightclub in Bordon.

"We would also like to work with the licence holders to make sure the CCTV is up to our evidential standard,"added Insp Bradford.

A spokesman for East Hampshire District Council said members of the public had another two weeks to make comments. If there were no objections the licence would be decided by officers in the licensing department.