CONFUSION reigned when night-time revellers tried to decide whether their favourite watering hole was a pub or a club.

Patrons of Courtyards, Bridge Street, were faced with a £2 charge when they visited the bar on Good Friday and Easter Saturday.

A spokesperson for Allied Domecq, the brewery which instructed the pub to start charging the admission fee, says the move would help to reduce overcrowding.

"Under the terms of an entertainment licence, pubs can play music and serve alcohol until 1am. Other venues with these licences charge an entrance fee so we are just moving in line with them," she said.

"If Courtyards do not charge people to get in, they may become inundated with too many customers. The admission fee evens things out. Peter Blatherwick, licensing clerk at Warrington Magistrates Court, said: "The law does not state that a pub can or cannot charge an entrance fee, but the licensee may be questioned by the committee as to why they have started doing so."

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