SPECIALLY-trained staff from an alcohol education charity are to be on hand at a Bolton nightspot to help revellers stay safe and enjoy their night out.

Drinkaware will be providing a Drinkaware Crew at Level nightclub in Mawdsley Street in the town centre in partnership with Greater Manchester Police.

A pair of club hosts circulate around the venue throughout the night on Friday and Saturday evening carrying bottled water, hand gel, lollipops and tissues.

They talk to customers at the start of the evening when a queue is forming, support clubbers who are vulnerable – perhaps due to alcohol – and help ensure guests leave safely after the nightclub has closed such as making sure they do not get into unlicensed minicabs.

Elaine Hindal, chief executive of Drinkaware, said: "We are delighted to bring our Drinkaware Crew to Bolton.

"From our 2015 pilot programmes, we know that this scheme can work well to help reduce the number of young adults experiencing drunken sexual harassment and we expect to see the same positive results in Bolton.

"As our campaign ‘You wouldn’t sober, you shouldn’t drunk' is rolled out this month in Manchester, we would like to remind young people that drunken sexual harassment – such as groping or inappropriate sexual banter – is not acceptable and being drunk is no excuse.

"Our Drinkaware Crew will be on hand in Level to provide assistance and support to young people if they need it."

The Drinkaware Crew launch in Bolton follows a six month pilot in November, 2015 that included five areas in south-west England – Cheltenham, Exeter, Plymouth, Truro and Torbay – as well as Nottingham.

It forms part of Drinkaware's Drunken Nights Out campaign developed to reduce alcohol-related harm in the night time economy, and following the pilot, the initiative is now expected to be expanded across the UK.

PC Andy Vernon, Bolton Police's licensing officer, said: "We’re really proud of Bolton’s vibrant nightlife and the majority of people that go out in our town are well behaved and respectful of others.

"A small minority however will seek to cause trouble or take advantage of people who’ve had a few drinks and nobody should have to endure that sort of behaviour on a night out.

“We’re delighted to welcome the Drinkaware Crew scheme to Bolton and hope that it’ll make people feel safer on a night out, as well as reducing incidents of crime and antisocial behaviour."

Bertram Igbokwe, general manager of Level, said: "We’re really happy to be part of the Drinkaware Crew scheme.

"The training they have given has helped us improve the customer experience for people who may need assistance whilst on a night out.

"The new staff have been able to add a new dynamic which means that people in potentially vulnerable situations have someone who is there to spend as much time as is needed to make sure they are looked after and can either enjoy the rest of their night or get home safely.

"The security team, management and first aiders have done a very good job of this in the past but this extra team has taken a lot of pressure off them so they can concentrate on making sure that the general clubbing environment is safe."