A free drinks promotion at two nightclubs has been shelved after police complaints.

Club Zeus and Dukes nightclubs in Chelmsford - which attract revellers from across Essex - had been offering free beer on Monday student nights.

But police reckon the ale giveaway could have led to an increase in clubbers behaving badly.

Now managers at the clubs have agreed to stop the scheme.

A police spokesman said there had been a lot more arrests than usual on Monday nights over the past two months.

He said: "On some Tuesday mornings 13 people or more were in our cells which is a lot for a weekday."

Paul Ryan of Club Zeus, Rainsford Road, said: "We are aware students have little money and free draught beer for the first two hours was very popular. It was not a jolly free-for-all and we controlled it by using a voucher system."

He said the club had not found that the promotion affected behaviour.

Lou Manzi, managing director of Duke's Nightclub, Duke Street, said police had brought the situation to their attention.

"This is not something we want to be associated with at all. We are very aware of our responsibility to the local authority in running a licensed operation."

Both clubs will stop the promotion from July 5.

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