A town in east Cleveland is to be given expert advice on how best to market its nightlife.

The night time economy of Redcar, which has been boosted with the arrival of three new bars, is to be given free management, technical, and communications support from town centre experts.

The package is part of a new Government initiative, and Redcar is one of only 20 towns and cities across the UK to be selected for the scheme.

Redcar town centre manager John Partridge, who successfully applied to join the project, said: "It gives us the opportunity to learn from other towns and cities in the country so we can more effectively manage our night-time economy.

"Since Christmas, three new wine and food bars have opened in the east end of the town - Martha's Vineyard, Barracuda and Blue Lounge - and all of them are offering food and drink during the day, as well as high-quality service at night.

"We are now enjoying a better mix of premises and we need to try and market this as effectively as possible."

Councillor Vera Moody, Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council's cabinet member for economic development, said: "It is excellent news for Redcar to be included in the project which will enable us to gain expert advice and experience from working alongside such a varied mix of towns and cities."

Lessons learnt from discussions aimed at accelerating the economic revival of town centres, will be shared across all town centres to promote best practice. The advice will also include tips on how to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour and improve town centre environments with the development of Business Improvement Districts (BIDs).

The 20 town centres involved are Redcar, Grimsby, Lancaster, Lowestoft, Peckham, Stockport, Tottenham, Trafford, Wood Green, Worksop, Broxtowe, Blackpool, Newcastle, Bristol, Melton, Taunton, Havant, Colchester, Derby and Birmingham.