LESS than a year after opening a Burnley club has creamed the competition to be crowned UK Club of the Year.

Lava and Ignite beat off stiff competition from the giants of clubbing including Gatecrasher and Ministry of Sound to be voted the best in Britain.

And it marks a memorable few months for Richard Taylor, who swapped Bangkok for Burnley to become boss of the Hammerton Street club.

General manager Richard was working for Ministry of Sound - part of the London superclub empire - in China when he got a call asking him if he wanted to manage the Burnley club.

And it wasn't a decision he regretted as at the Bar and Entertainment and Dance Association (BEDA) awards at the Birmingham NEC, Lava and Ignite were first awarded the title of best club in the north.

It then went through to the national final and beat the clubs including London-based Cirque and Edinburgh's City to become top British nightspot.

Richard, 33, who used to be regional manger for Luminar Leisure - which owns the club - said the awards are voted for by people in the industry and are the greatest accolade clubs can get.

He said: "I have worked in the town before and I got a phone call asking if I would come back.

"I liked the principle of the club and believed it could work.

"First of all we won the best club in the north of England which I was pleased about, and when they announced we had won the best in Great Britain I was shocked to say the least.

"It's just a fabulous achievement,"

Hundreds of clubs from across Britain entered the awards which are judged on atmosphere, visitors, customer service, entertainment offers, drinks presentation, cleanliness, design and use of technology.

Announcing their decision, the judges described Lava and Ignite as "an excellent example of a modern superclub, imaginatively conceived, intelligently equipped and creatively and responsibly managed".

And Richard said the award would help to raise not only the profile of the club - which attracts clubbers from across the North, but the town itself.

He added: "People will come to the town and not just the club. They will stay over and go round the rest of the pubs. It's going to be good for the whole of Burnley."