BLACKBURN’S nightlife is a shadow of its former self from 30 years ago with once-popular pubs, bars and pubs going to the wall.

Thousands of punters used to fill the town’s night time establishments with hundreds being bussed in especially to sample the culture.

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Blackburn was a mecca for music lovers and clubs such as the Cavendish, which went on to become Peppermint Place and then Utopia, were full to the brim.

Manhattan Heights which became Northern Lights and then Millennium in Cicely Lane, enjoyed crowds of revellers.

Millennium famously was allowed by Factory Records to use the name Hacienda, mirroring the iconic Manchester club.

The current night time offering is a far cry from Blackburn’s heydays of the 1960s Northern Soul movement and the clubbing scene of the late 20th century.

Top DJs including 808 State, Together, Sasha and the Chemical Brothers all played in the town, while cult TV show The Hitman and Her with Pete Waterman and Michaela Strachan was a regular visitor.

But since then, a generation of recession-hit youngsters, who prefer to pre-load at home, a rise in the popularity of nearby towns for a night out, the smoking ban and a decline in Blackburn’s night-time reputation have been blamed for the town’s fall from the top of the party ladder.

Gone are the days when the likes of The Starlight Club, Mr G’s Disco, The Golden Palms and Coconut Grove formed part of Blackburn’s thriving night time scene.

The Blob Shop, The Oxygen Bar and De Ream cafe bar in Duke Street also contributed to making Blackburn the place to go.