A TOWN centre church could soon open all night at weekends to provide somewhere safe for pub and clubgoers to go.

The idea is being explored by the church council at St Peter's, in Harrogate.

The idea comes shortly after the Government's round-the-clock drinking laws came into force.

It could be opened as somewhere safe for drinkers to wait for lifts home or taxis. In other parts of the country, similar schemes have included first aid help.

The vicar of St Peter's, Canon Tony Shepherd, got the idea during a conference in Cardiff on town centre churches, where he heard of successful haven schemes in Cambridge and Nottingham.

Canon Shepherd said: "Of course, this is not a suggestion we could undertake on our own. It will need a whole range of people to give their support, not least the police. But it might be a service to the young people of the whole district."

The town centre has become a magnet for drinkers and clubbers from a wide area, leading to concerns about anti-social behaviour and a large police presence in the town. Canon Shepherd has already spoken to voluntary services and others in Harrogate who could help staff the centre. Before any scheme goes ahead, representatives from St Peter's are most likely to look at the Cambridge project in action, where the haven has proved particularly successful.

Canon Shepherd said: "St Peter's might be a place where people can come and wait for parents to come and pick them up, or they could come to wait for a taxi and feel safe."

Asked if people who were drunk would be admitted, he said it would have to be discussed with police.

He said: "We have not yet discussed it with all sorts of people who might become very key players. In Cambridge, they open it in conjunction with St John Ambulance."