IT might not be much to look at from this photo, but this was one of East Lancashire’s major nights out for many years.

The El Tropicano Club - known to regulars as El Trop - on Hibson Road in Nelson was a popular nightspot for around 50 years.

In the Sixties it was also a casino for a while and was owned by Michael Hartley, a flamboyant character who ran a series of clubs across the North West.

El Trop also brought a number of popular live acts to Nelson and was quick to adapt to the disco craze in the Seventies and early Eighties.

The club made the headlines in the 1990s when then owner Geoff Metcalfe installed a laser on the roof which could be fired into the night sky and be seen for miles around. This prompted numerous complaints and he was eventually forced to remove it when the Civil Aviation Authority intervened and warned it was dangerous to aircraft.

Were you an El Trop regular? We’d love to share your memories and photos with our readers. Email bygones@nqnw.co.uk