POLICE used new powers for the first time to close a Blackburn pub following a night of mayhem.

Officers obtained an order to close the Jubilee Hotel, opposite King George's Hall, after being called there five times to fights in the early hours of Sunday.

It is believed to be the first time in Lancashire that police have used the new powers which were granted under new licensing laws.

Landlady Linda Fox said she was going to quit the pub she had run for 23 years following the action.

But police said the order was a last resort after a number of incidents of disorder at the Thwaites pub over the past few months.

A spokesman for the brewery said they had an excellent relationship with the police in Blackburn and would work towards solving the problems.

On Sunday at:

* 12.15am a man headbutted another inside the pub.

* 12.55am a group of men who had been ejected were fighting outside the pub.

* 2.30am a police unit was deployed outside and saw up to 20 men fighting inside and throwing bottles. Police said one man had taken off his shirt and challenged anyone in the area to a fight. As he was ejected, officers said he rang several people on his mobile phone and urged them to get to the pub for a fight. The 19-year-old man was given a fixed penalty fine for his antics.

* 3am five men were thrown out after a fight inside the pub.

* 3.20am police decided to close the pub after witnessing a scuffle between doorstaff and customers.

The order ran from 3.30am for eight hours. The pub opens until 4am and reopens at 9am.

Magistrates will review the decision to issue the order tomorrow and then the matter will be passed to the borough council which will review the pub's licence.

The pub was also asked by police to close early on New Year's Eve following a number of incidents, but this was the first time police used powers to force it to shut.

Steve Finley, Blackburn police's licensing officer, said: "A decision was made to close the pub after a number of incidents of disorder over a number of months.

"In the early hours of Sunday, police in Blackburn issued a closure notice on the Jubilee pub.

"It is the first time in this division that it has been done.

"We are working with Thwaites in order to find a sustainable solution to reduce further incidents of disorder at the premises."

However, the landlady Mrs Linda Fox said she was going to quit the pub after 23 years after the action.

Mrs Fox, who runs the pub with husband Thomas, said: "It's very sad that it had to get to this stage.

"We have put our notice in now.

"We had a meeting with the police who said if we feel there's going to be trouble then to ring them, which is what we have been doing and now we are being punished for it."

A Thwaites spokesperson said: "We have been involved in very detailed and productive discussions with the police, and are reviewing certain aspects of the operation at the Jubilee for the benefit of all parties.

"Daniel Thwaites has an excellent relationship with the Blackburn constabulary, which has enabled us to work closely with them towards achieving a mutually agreeable solution that ensures the pub can continue to trade successfully in the future."