Nightclub doormen in Rochford are to be licensed under a county-wide scheme to regulate them, councillors have agreed.

Under the scheme, doormen will be trained and checked for previous criminal convictions before being allowed to police the doors of local pubs and nightclubs.

The proposal would provide a uniform scheme to replace a number of registration policies run by separate authorities in Essex.

Rochford District has no registration policy in operating at the moment, and members of the council's Community Services committee welcomed the move.

Labour councillor for Rochford, Maureen Vince said: "The fact there is no national legislation requiring doorstaff registration schemes should not deter this council from taking this forward.

"In the broadest sense, this scheme could prevent disorder, although I would like to see it widened to cover outside events."

As the law stands, there is no government legislation regulating doorstaff, although registration schemes are recommended by the government as a major part of drugs control.

The adoption of the scheme would particularly affect Rochford District's two nightclubs - the Pink Toothbrush in Rayleigh High Street, and Zero in Aviation Way, Rochford.

Toothbrush owner Charlie Horne said his doorstaff were already registered.

He said: "Mine have been licensed for five years with Basildon Council, and I only employ registered doormen anyway."

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