Young people taking advantage of weekly cut-price drinks promotions at nightclubs are causing police a headache with a rise in drunken rowdiness and nuisance behaviour.

Six people were arrested in Chelmsford following Monday's cheap booze promotion, which is designed to boost nightclub trade at the beginning of the week instead of business tailing off after the weekend.

The majority of incidents involved rowdiness with other clubbers, but a coffee percolator was thrown at door staff of Dukes and in another case, two men finishing work in the town centre were the subjects of an unprovoked attack.

Insp Kevin Wakefield, of Chelmsford Police, said: "We want people to have a good time, but anybody that steps out of line will be arrested and positive action will be taken."

A spokesperson for the Licensed Victuallers' Association said: " A lot of the smaller pubs are going out of business because of this. By offering youngsters cheap drinks, it's like giving them a gun and loading it for them. You do get trouble, you do get damage and I think it should be stopped."

Dukes nightclub, in Duke Street, Chelmsford, offers student friendly nights on Mondays. Entry is just £1 with a student card , £2 for others and all drinks - excluding cocktails and champagne - are £1 all night.

Manager Martin Stokes said: " I believe the licensing officer is perfectly happy with the situation at the moment."

"We are having a major refurbishment and everything will be revised, including Monday nights and the drinks prices. I would be premature if I said they were going to be put up, but they are being revised."

Students can get into Zeus for free on Monday nights, while others pay £2. All drinks are £1 all night.

Assistant Manager, Neil Palfreyman, said: "All our customers are student-based, so when they leave here, they go back to halls. It's other people in the town centre that are fighting."

Martin Reed, Licensing Officer for Chelmsford, said: "It may be that we need to review this."

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