PLANS for a party have been scrapped after Cleveland Police persuaded the courts to overturn a controversial decision to allow the event.

A Middlesbrough nightspot was going to bring 350 revellers to the town for an extended party.

Blue bar, in Albert Road, Middlesbrough, planned to host a "trance or hard dance" post-club party, from 3am to 10am on Sunday, February 19.

Middlesbrough Council gave it the go-ahead last month, despite police objections, and up to 350 ticket holders were to be bused in from Tall Trees nightclub, in Yarm.

Now the police have won their appeal to overturn the decision.

Teesside magistrates accepted there had been a two per cent rise in crime and disorder in the Albert Road area of the town since November, when drinking hours were extended.

Chief Inspector Andy McDyer, of Middlesbrough police, said there had been 192 offences in Albert Road in the past three months, including 92 of violence, 48 linked to alcohol and 42 in the vicinity of the Blue bar.

At Tall Trees, there were 155 crimes in the past year, including 67 assaults, 24 robberies, 14 offences of drugs possession and four of drugs supply, he said.

But Paul Angus, Blue's promotions manager, said he had never seen violence in the bar.

A statement issued by the bar's management said they were very disappointed with the decision. "This judgement makes it very tough for any subsequent applications to succeed and we certainly will not be looking to bring anything new to Middlesbrough town centre," it added.