FOUR men involved in the running of the Warehouse nightclub were sentenced to commmunity service after a judge decided there would be no public interest in giving them jail sentences.

Club owner Mark Harding, partner Alistair Pratley and doormen Dave Kinloch and Geoff Rogerson were given community service orders ranging from 180 hours to 100 hours after pleading guilty to permitting the smoking of cannabis on the premises.

Another doorman, Dave Fairclough, was fined £250 for possession of drugs.

Judge Baker said it was not in the public interest in this case to hand out custodial sentences.

And he told the court: "They are all mature men of good character who are capable of industrious lives. They are spoken highly of by everyone who knows them."

The court heard how undercover police purchased ecstasy from people inside the club between March and May, 2001. They also smelt cannabis smoke and, during covert video surveillance, filmed three people smoking reefer cigarettes.

A raid involving up to 80 officers from across Lancashire led to the arrest of Harding, Pratley and the doormen on charges of permitting the sale of ecstasy, but the charges were later dropped by the police.

In mitigation, the court was told that Harding had no criminal convictions and that he had not been given a warning by the police.

His barrister Mr Norman Wright, said that he had 'suffered enough'.

And he added: "He has been wrongly linked with Class A drugs. There has been some vilification."

Mr Tim White, counsel for Pratley, said police had received michievous and false information about his client.

"The police thought he was dealing in Class A drugs, particularly ecstasy, but he was not. The police were told a pack of lies. He wasn't involved in any form of dealing."

Pratley has since qualified to study computing at Lancaster University and Fairclough is doing a degree in fine art and computer technology, the court was told. Kinloch was a single parent who also worked with children in care.

Judge Baker said: "At this stage in their lives these men have the ability to redeem themselves and I shall be imposing the requirement of unpaid work."

o Another man, Andrew Matchett, 22, of Dale Street, Lancaster, who was a customer at the club on the night of the raid, admitted possessing 35 ecstasy tablets with intent to supply and was given 200 hours community service on Friday.