CONTROVERSIAL plans to extend the opening times of a town centre bar could be blocked after police told of their concerns of increased late-night disorder.

Vienna, in Exchange Place, Middlesbrough, which can open until 1am, wants to extend its opening hours to 2am from Monday to Saturday.

But police say if the change is allowed to go ahead, there will be an increased risk of assaults and other drink related crimes, as the town centre struggles to cope with up to 15,000 people on the streets at 2am on weekend nights.

Last year, 306 crimes of actual bodily harm, 92 offences of common assault and 40 of grievous bodily harm were recorded as being linked to licensed premises in the town centre - where 34 bars are allowed to stay open after 11pm.

Sergeant Paul Higgins, from Middlesbrough District Licensing Unit, said: "Because so many premises have been granted licenses to close at 2am, the town centre regularly sees between 10,000 and 15,000 people on the streets at 2am on a weekend.

"There are no buses after 11pm and there are insufficient numbers of taxis to transport these people home.

"Almost without exception at this time of morning, all of the people present are intoxicated by alcohol.

"They flock to takeaways and flood into the streets where the intoxication and interaction with others causes violence to flare on a regular basis, especially in Exchange Square, due to the concentration of premises around it.

"It is the view of the police that if Vienna is given a licence until 2am, there will be an increased risk of disorder taking place as yet more people enter Exchange Square at this critical time."

But licensee Darrel Johnson, from Vienna, said he did not believe there would be additional people in the town centre because of his application.

He said his patrons currently left his premises to attend other clubs with later licences and said, if he were granted the licence extension, the number of people on the streets between 12.30am and 2am would decrease.

Members of Middlesbrough Council's licensing committee will decide whether to allow the extension to opening hours at a meeting next Monday.